The Life of a Kunoichi Shinobi
by CyberChick135
Summary: A Hatake Daughter's Journey. Follow Kristin Hatake as she tells her life story. How she strives to restor honor to her clan, and how she deals with every day normal problems. Oh and what it's like to live with a demon alter-ego.
1. Introduction

**A/N: **This story has been under revision for a long time, but now a few minor details have been worked out. I have decided just to leave you guys with this small introduction. After this, the chapters will be based off of the episodes from the anime, but they will be in Kristin's POV. Some chapter may combine two or more episodes, depending on which arc they fall in. I hope ya'll will enjoy it^^

* * *

**A long time ago…**

_The Hatake clan goes back to the beginning, as far as the Shinobi itself. This clan is skilled in various jutsus. _

_The first Hatake was Vitrin. He is the great ancestor of their clan. His Shinobi skills were matched by only a few other clans. Vitrin was one of the best Shinobi in the Hidden Leaf Village. And once he met his true love, Zephryn, the two settled down and started the Hatake clan. Their first child was Zyra Hatake, a wise Kunoichi beyond her years. She was the only Kunoichi in this clan's history. It is said that only a very skilled Hatake daughter can become a successful ninja. She must have the purest of the pure hearts and willing to lay her life on the line for those she loves. _

* * *

My name is Kristin Hatake. Daughter of Kakashi and Kagome Hatake. And this is my story. How I strive to be the first Hatake daughter to become a true Kunoichi.

I can always remember my father reading me our clan's history. I would lay in his arms as he read to me. He is my hero and I've always wanted to be just like him.

My name is Kristin Hatake, and this is my story.

**The Chronicles of my life.**

**The Life of a Kunoichi Shinobi. **

**A Hatake Daughter's Journey. **


	2. Debut

**Debut.**

* * *

"_An orange fox with nine tails growled viciously as many ninja clad in blue and green attacked it relentlessly. It's target was a village, surrounded by trees, and the fox demon wouldn't stop until the village was destroyed. This demon of legend is known as the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon. Suddenly a giant toad appeared and on his back was a ninja whose power and skill succeeded those of all others. With one swift motion of his hands, the ninja sealed the Nine-tails away in a human body. This legendary ninja was known by all as the Fourth Hokage."_

I jolted out of bed and gasped. That was the fifth time this week I have had that same dream. By now I knew the entire legend of the Fourth by memory.

I yawned, sighed, and stretched my arms as I climbed out of bed. I looked over at my calendar and saw that I had only one day left until I graduate from the Ninja Academy. With a big grin on my face, I threw open my closet and grabbed my outfit for school. I changed into my jade green tank-top with matching skirt, I wrapped my bandages around my stomach and legs, slipped on my black arm-warmers with green trim, and strapped on my blue sandals. Lastly I tied my duel-colored hair into a ponytail with my forest green ribbon, and I put my silver-blue butterfly clip on the left side if my bangs.

"Kristin!" called my little sister. "Choji's here for you!"

Choji Akimichi, one of my three childhood best friends. He's one of the sweetest guys I've ever met, and a great person to turn to when you've had a bad day.

"I'll be right down!" I called back. I grabbed my satchel and walked out of my room and down the stairs.

* * *

"Hey Kris." Choji greeted me. As usual, for him, he had three huge dumplings with him for his breakfast. I wouldn't say that Choji is, well, f-a-t, because that would be just mean. He's more so, big boned and a little chubby, but hey, he is one of my best friends and I am happy for that.

"Ready for school Choji?" I asked, grabbing a granola bar from the counter.

He nodded. "Sasuke and Shikamaru said they would meet us there." he informed.

Funny thing, I was just about to ask about those two. Sasuke Uchiha and Shikamaru Nara, my other two best friends, both such terrific guys. Of course, in terms of personality, they were both opposites of each other. For example; Sasuke excels at everything and always pushes himself past his limits to achieve his goals, while Shikamaru on the other hand is lazy and never wants to do any type of hard labor and always complains about everything. But I guess that's what makes them so great of friends, as people always say 'opposites attract'.

I kissed my little sister goodbye and headed off to school with Choji.

* * *

"One more day." I said, once we were away from my house.

"I know, I'm really excited, and a bit nervous." Choji smiled and took another huge bite of dumpling.

I smiled back and put my hand on his shoulder, "Don't be nervous, I'm sure the graduation exam is easy." I patted his shoulder reassuringly.

Not too long after, we arrived at the Ninja Academy. I walked in and saw Shikamaru and Sasuke sitting in the top row with a desk in between them. Smiling I ran up the stairs and took that empty seat.

"Morning you guys." I greeted.

"Morning Kris." Shikamaru replied.

"Hey." Sasuke followed.

When the bell rang I noticed Iruka-sensei, our instructor, didn't show up like he always did.

"Where's Iruka-sensei?" I asked Sasuke, who shrugged his shoulders.

"From what I heard," Shikamaru answered, leaning in to whisper to me, "Naruto was caught ditching school and was painting graffiti on Hokage Mountain."

I gasped, "Seriously?" I asked.

Shikamaru nodded.

Naruto Uzumaki, otherwise known as the class clown and village idiot, in everyone's opinion. He always acted up, never paid any attention in class, never studied, and always made a complete fool of himself in front of everyone.

Twenty minutes later and Iruka-sensei showed up with Naruto in tow. After a lecture from Iruka-sensei and Naruto shrugging it off, that's when class really went downhill.

"Alright since you missed it Naruto, everyone will have to review the Transformation Jutsu!" yelled Iruka-sensei.

We all groaned and slowly lined up at the front of the classroom. The first person to go was Sakura Haruno, one of the smartest girls in our class. She had pink hair tied with a red ribbon and wore a red kimono with gray shorts underneath.

She transformed into Iruka-sensei. After her praise, she went back to her seat, and next up was Sasuke. He too also transformed into Iruka-sensei.

"Next up, Naruto Uzumaki." Iruka-sensei called.

"This is a total waste of time Naruto." Shikamaru told him.

I nodded in agreement. "We always have to pay for your screw-ups." I added.

"Like I care." Naruto spat, shrugging off what me and Shikamaru had just said.

Naruto walked up to Iruka-sensei and pressed his hands together, preparing for the jutsu. Instead of transforming, he pulled a dumb-ass trick and turned himself into a teenage girl with blonde pig-tails, without any clothes on.

After he broke the jutsu, he laughed. "Got ya! That was my Sexy Jutsu!"

Iruka-sensei was pissed off. "Cut the stupid tricks!" he yelled. "This is your last warning!"

Naruto huffed. My named was called next.

"Naruto." I giggled, turning to face him. "Let me show you how a real transformation is done." I pressed my hands together and focused. "Transform!" in an instant, I had transformed into the Third Hokage, the current leader of our village.

"The Third, very nice Kristin." Iruka-sensei praised.

I smiled, "That's how a real transformation is done." I smirked at Naruto and walked back to my seat. I high-fived Choji on my way up.

* * *

After everyone else went, class was dismissed. And I knew Naruto was going to get a serious punishment for what he did.

As per the usual routine, me and my friends spent a few hours by the river and talked. Afterwards we grabbed a small snack, and ate it as we walked home.

My house was always the first stop.

"See you guys tomorrow." I said, waving goodbye as they walked off.

I unlocked my front door and stepped inside. I quickly heated up some instant noddles and that was my dinner. After picking up the house a bit, I went to my room and fell fast asleep.

* * *

Today was it, my last day at the Ninja Academy. I was so excited, I have been training for this for five years and was ready to go out into the world as a Kunoichi, a full fledged Kunoichi.

I jumped out of bed and changed. I smiled at my reflection, happy that today is the day where I become a real ninja, just like all the past Hatakes before me.

"Big day huh sis?" asked my little sister, Kallera Hatake.

"Yep, after I pass this graduation exam, I will be a full fledged Kunoichi!" I answered, giggling.

"Good luck. Knock 'em dead!" giggled my little sister.

I smiled and ruffled her duel-colored hair as I walked out of my room. I grabbed my satchel and jumped out my bedroom window. Exhaling I ran for the Ninja Academy, ready to pass the graduation exam.

"Hey!" I called to my three best friends, "Sasuke! Shikamaru! Choji!"

The three boys turned and looked at me, and smiled.

"Hey Kris." Choji greeted me.

"There's our girl." Shikamaru added.

"You ready for the big exam?" Sasuke asked.

"Hell yeah, I'm ready!" I answered.

I linked my arms through Sasuke's and Shikamaru's and headed inside the school, with Choji following behind.

We found our seats and sat in the back row, since the desks were only three to one, Sasuke sat in the next row of desks, in front of me, Shikamaru and Choji.

Our teacher, Iruka-sensei walked in a announced that he would call each one of us to take the exam; which was over the Clone Jutsu technique. I was totally going to ace this.

While waiting for my turn, I spent the time thinking about who would be on my squad. Since there was an odd number of students, and depending on if an odd number pass the test, once squad will have four genin instead of three, the minimum number for a ninja squad. Deep down, I was hoping that I would be on a four man squad, and that my teammates will be my three best friends, and my jonin-sensei would be my father; who is the top-notch Jonin in the hidden leaf village.

"Kristin Hatake." Iruka-sensei called my name.

I took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Good luck girl." Choji said, giving me a thumbs up.

I smiled back as I made my way to the exam room.

* * *

Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei were the two test proctors. I saw the rows of headbands laying next to Iruka-sensei, and I so badly wanted to wear one.

"Okay, Kristin, let's see how much you've learned since you began here." said Mizuki-sensei.

I took a deep breath and sighed, positioning my hands to prepare the jutsu. _"Hitsuji-Mi-Tora." _"Clone Jutsu." I felt the chakra flow through me and in an instant, I had created five perfect clones of myself.

Iruka and Mizuki-sensei smiled at me and applauded.

"I have to say, perfect." Mizuki-sensei complemented.

"I agree." added Iruka-sensei. He reached over and grabbed a blue headband and held it out to me.

I gasped. I walked forward and took the headband from my teacher.

"Congratulations." said Iruka-sensei. "You are now and official genin Kunoichi."

I bowed to my two teachers and walked out of the exam room. I squealed to myself as I tied my new ninja headband around my waist.

* * *

Our teachers had told us to go home after our exam was finished, but I had promised my friends I would meet them by the river. I made my way out of the Academy and down towards the river, where I sat and waited for Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Choji.

About a half-hour or so later, they had found me, all wearing their headbands.

"Looks like we all passed." I deducted, noting all the headbands we now wore.

We joined in a group hug.

* * *

Once classes were over, all the students were talking about how great it was to be a ninja finally. The four of us however, just sat on the dock with our feet in the water.

Choji turned his head and tapped Shikamaru's shoulder.

"Your dad's here." he said.

We all turned, and long behold, Shikamaru's father, Shikaku Nara, was standing a few feet away from us.

He walked towards us, and we all stood and faced him.

"I see the four of you graduated." he said, looking at the headbands we all wore. "Congratulations."

We nodded.

"So dad, what are you doing here?" Shikamaru asked.

"I've come to take the four of you out to dinner to celebrate you all becoming ninja." Shikaku answered.

"All four of us?" I questioned.

Shikaku nodded. "Yes, your father said it was okay for you to join us.

"Thanks and all but I'm just going to head home." Sasuke said.

"Your sure Sasuke?" Choji asked, confused.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'll see you three tomorrow." Sasuke turned around and walked away from us.

* * *

So it was just the three of us, and Shikamaru's dad, that ate the BBQ restaurant. After that, they walked me home and we said our goodbyes.

I watched as Shikaku led Shikamaru and Choji home. I turned around and unlocked my front door.

* * *

"Greetings Hatake family!" I yelled as I walked through the door. "You are now looking at a genin Kunoichi straight from the Konohagakure Ninja Academy!"

There was dead silence in the house. I walked into the kitchen and was suddenly attacked by my little sister.

"I knew you would pass! Congratulations sissy!" Kallera squealed.

I hugged her back and smiled. "Where's dad?" I asked, looking around.

"He said he had something to do so he left dinner for us." my little sister answered.

I looked at the table and saw two places set with take out noodles and BBQ pork. Sighing, I slung my satchel over the chair and packed up my dinner, since I was full from the one Shikaku treated me to.

"How come you're not eating?" Kallera asked me, holding a mouthful of noodles in her chopsticks.

"Shikamaru's dad treated us to dinner as a celebration for us graduating." I informed, placing my dinner in the fridge. "You go on and eat."

* * *

After dinner, I fell into the nightly routine; cleaning the dishes, picking up after dinner, making sure Kallera had her shower, got her ready for bed, took my shower, and then I got ready for bed.

"Sweet dreams Kal." I kissed my sister's forehead and walked down to my room.

I laid under my sheets and fell asleep instantly, even though I was excited because tomorrow was the day we were going to be assigned our Ninja teams.


	3. Friends or Foes? Squad Seven Established

**Friends or Foes? Squad Seven Established.**

* * *

The sun rose over the Hidden Leaf Village and I was ready to face the day ahead. Today was the orientation, meaning today was the day that all of us new genin would be assigned to our ninja squads.

I jumped out of bed and quickly changed. I pulled my hair into a ponytail with a black rubber band, then I tied the forest green ribbon around it. I was just about to tie by new headband around my waist, when my father knocked on my bedroom door.

"There's my little Kunoichi." he smiled.

"Hi daddy." I smiled back. My father held in his arms a nicely wrapped box tied with a white ribbon. "What's that?" I asked.

"Oh this?" dad questioned. "It's a present from your mother."

I gasped. "Really? I thought a lot of her stuff was destroyed in the fire?" I asked.

"Most of it was, yes." daddy clarified. "But this was somewhere safe and unharmed. She had just finished it and was going to keep it safe until this day."

I took the box from my father and carefully opened it. Inside was a custom made headband for me. It had the silver plate with the hidden leaf symbol carved into it, and it was perfectly sown into a forest green cloth.

"Beautiful." I gasped, holding the headband in my arms. Also inside the box was a small, folded, piece of paper. It was a note from my mother and it said 'Dearest daughter, I have made this for you, knowing you would one day wear it as a Hatake Kunoichi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Green has always been your color and I knew this cloth would suit you well. I know you will wear it with pride and honor, and you will grow to be a fine ninja. With all the love, your mother, Kagome.'

I also found a small picture of me and my mom. She was holding me in her arms and we were wearing matching kimonos for the Founding Festivals. I felt the tears come from my eyes and lightly cried.

I wiped the tears away and tied my new headband around my waist. I overlooked myself in the mirror and smiled.

"Have a great day." dad said, placing his hands on my shoulders.

I turned to him and hugged him. "I love you dad."

"Love you too Kristin." he replied, kissing my forehead.

I smiled and jumped out of my window and headed for the Academy. I just couldn't wait until I was assigned to my new team of ninja.

* * *

On my way I passed by my family shrine, and stopped dead in my tracks.

"The orientation doesn't start for another fifty minutes, I can spare ten or so." I said to myself. I walked up the stairs and picked a few wild flowers to set on the gravestones.

The two I were looking for were right next to each other. I laid two flowers on each stone and knelt in front of them.

I placed my hand on my mother's gravestone. "Thanks for the headband mom, I love it." I said, smiling. "I'm a ninja now, a Kunoichi in training. And someday I'll find the people that set our house on fire and took you away from us." I ran my hand over my mother's name etched in her stone, Kagome Hatake.

I then turned to my grandfather's gravestone. I placed my hand on it as well. "I only wish you were alive to see me now grandpa." I said. "Your son raised me right. I know you would be very proud of all of us."

I stood up and placed one hand on each gravestone. "I know the two of you will be watching out for me from here on out." the wind blew my ponytail in the breeze, almost as if my mother and grandfather were agreeing with me.

* * *

"Kristin!" Shikamaru called my name.

I turned and saw him at the shrine's entrance. "Shikamaru!" I called back, smiling. I took one last look at the gravestones and ran to meet my friend.

"What are you doing here?" I asked Shikamaru.

"I thought I could walk with you to the Academy, Sasuke and Choji said they would meet us there." Shikamaru answered. "What were you doing?"

I looked back at my shrine, "Just wishing my grandfather, mother, and brother, were alive to see me now." I said. "Speaking of, you notice anything different?"

I placed my hands on my hips and waited. Shikamaru looked me over and shrugged his shoulders. "You look the same to me."

I sighed. "Look at my waist."

He glanced down and then noticed my new headband. "Where did you get that?" he asked.

I smiled. "My mom made it." I answered. "It was one of the few things that wasn't destroyed by the fire."

Shikamaru nodded and we fell in step on our way to the Academy.

* * *

We walked in the room and saw it was packed full of new genin.

"Wow." I gasped. "This many graduated?"

"Apparently." Shikamaru answered.

I pointed out two seats up on the back row walked up the stairs. Sasuke and Naruto were in the desk in front of us. I took my seat.

"Huh what are you doing here Naruto?" Shikamaru asked. "This isn't for dropouts, you can't be here unless you've graduated."

Naruto pointed to his forehead. "Oh yeah? Look at this," he said. "open your eyes Shikamaru, it's a regulation headband."

I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Looks like we're going to be training together from now on." Naruto added, giggling.

Shikamaru huffed and walked up the stairs and sat down next to me. A few seconds later, the doors busted open and Sakura and Ino barged in, gasping for air.

* * *

Soon all the girls piled in, all arguing about who would sit next to Sasuke, which was a typical argument that happened every day for the past five years.

"Wow those girls are clueless." I sighed.

"How come you don't join them?" Shikamaru asked, smirking.

"Please, I have much more important things to do than fawn over a guy." I answered, flicking my ponytail back.

Annoyed, Naruto got onto the desk and stared at Sasuke right in the eyes. All I could do was sigh in annoyance myself.

"Hey Naruto!" Sakura yelled. "Stop glaring at Sasuke."

From the glares that Sasuke and Naruto were giving each other, you could almost see lightning sparks in between them.

Another genin that was in the desk in front of Naruto, accidentally bumped him. This caused Naruto to tumble forward and…much to all of our surprise…the two accidentally kissed. The whole room went silent.

* * *

I cast a glance out the window and saw two young girls watching through the window. One had light blue hair and the other had…duel pink and black.

The two girls looked at me and gasped, their lip movements read, 'oh shit', and they ducked. They were Kallera, my sister, and her friend Iris.

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto pulled away from each other and gagged. All of the girls, minus me, had looks of rage in their eyes.

"This is not going to be pretty." I sighed, closing my eyes.

And all of the girls took a few swings at Naruto before the orientation began,

* * *

"As of today, you are all ninjas." said Iruka-sensei. "To get here you had to face difficult trials and hardships. But that doesn't stop here. Now you are only genin, first level ninja. All the genin will be grouped into squads. All the squads are led by a jonin, and elite ninja."

The whole room was silent. Ino and Sakura had a small discussion on who was going to be in Sasuke's group.

Iruka-sensei cleared his throat, "However, since we had an odd number of graduating students, one of these squads will have four genin, while the remaining squads will have three."

That caught my attention. "A four man squad?" I questioned.

I glanced around the room, with my final glances falling on Choji, Sasuke, and Shikamaru. Hopefully we would be the four man squad, that way we would for sure still be friends after this.

"Now we wanted each squad to have a balance of strengths and abilities, so that's how they were set up and divided." Iruka-sensei added. "I will now announce the squads." he looked down at a stack of papers he held in his hand.

"Squad Seven, this will be the squad that will have four genin." said our sensei. "Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Kristin Hatake," Naruto jumped up and screamed in excitement, while Sakura sulked. "And Sasuke Uchiha."

Sakura jumped up and screamed while Naruto sulked, and I sighed in frustration. Sure I got one best friend, but I was also paired with the village idiot and little miss know-it-all. Great, this was going to be fun.

"Squad Eight," Iruka-sensei continued, "Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame."

Sakura turned around gave the peace sign to Ino, who was sitting next to me.

"How did you get in his group?!" she yelled in frustration.

"What do you see in him anyway?" Shikamaru asked, looking away from both me and Ino.

"You are so beyond clueless Shikamaru, don't you get it?" Ino asked, confused.

"No I don't get it." Shikamaru answered. "Because I'm not a girl."

I rolled my eyes and sighed, laying down on the desk.

Ino sighed. "You're so full of yourself." she said, referring to Shikamaru. "Jealousy's a terrible thing. I'd hate to be on your squad." She place her hand under her chin.

"And now, Squad Ten." Iruka-sensei was about to call the final three genin. "Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara,"

I shot up, Ino gasped, and Shikamaru chucked. "Didn't you say something about hating to be on my squad?"

"And Choji Akimichi."

Great my other two best friends get placed on a squad with the most high-maintence girl in our class, how the hell did they divide up the groups.

"And those are the squads." Iruka-sensei concluded.

* * *

Naruto stood up and complained. "Iruka-sensei, why do I have to be on a team with a slug like Sasuke?" that earned him a glare from Sakura.

"Sasuke had the best scores out of all the graduating students." Iruka-sensei answered. "Naruto, you had the worst scores." everyone in class laughed. "To create a balanced group, we put the best student with the worst student."

Naruto was fuming. "Okay but why do I also have to be put in a group with her!" he turned around and pointed at me, his finger was right in my face. "I mean, come on, what makes Kristin so special?"

I slanted my eyes and glared at him. "What the hell are you complaining about?" I asked. "If anyone should be complaining, it's me."

Iruka-sensei sighed. "Kristin had the top scores of all the graduating females." he informed. "She had perfect grades, aced every exam, she was able to create the most clones out of all who graduated, and she has many high-level jutsus mastered."

I nodded and smiled.

"But what makes her so great?" Naruto asked, loudly. "I mean c'mon, she doesn't look so good to me."

"You're pushing yourself shrimp." I growled through my teeth.

"If you ask me, she doesn't look normal at all." that's it, Naruto was officially dead. "I mean what normal person has two different colors for hair?"

I slammed my palms down and shot up, glaring at Naruto. "That's it you little idiot, you are so dead!" I yelled, glaring at him.

"What are you going to do about it?" Naruto was pushing me on purpose, if only he knew what I was really capable of. "You duel-haired freak!"

That was the last straw. "You. Are. Dead!" I was just about to slug Naruto right in the face, when my arm was gripped tightly.

"Enough! Kris he isn't worth it." Shikamaru said, gripping my arm tighter.

I looked him straight in the eyes. I closed my eyes and sighed, relaxing. "You're right, he isn't worth it."

"You scared or something?" Naruto edged on.

I glared at him again.

* * *

"Just be sure you don't get in my way, loser." Sasuke said, to Naruto.

"What was that?" Naruto asked, his anger now pointed to Sasuke.

"Hard of hearing or something?" Sasuke said, calmly.

"Naruto!" Sakura groaned. "Stop it. Sit down."

"Please do, you're making yourself look like an even bigger idiot." I added.

He glared at both of us.

"Enough!" yelled Iruka-sensei. "Like it or not, the four of you are Squad Seven. So deal with it!"

We nodded and sighed. "Yes sir."

"Now after lunch you all will meet your new jonin leaders." Iruka-sensei said. "Until then, class dismissed."

I sighed in relief and went to grab my lunch.

* * *

"Since we're not on the same team, think we can still have lunch together?" I asked Choji and Shikamaru.

"Yeah, come on Kris." Choji patted my shoulder and the three of us headed out of the academy and went to find somewhere we could eat in peace.

"So what happened between you and Naruto?" Choji asked, chowing down on his lunch.

I sighed, "He was just being an idiot and asking why he had to be on a team with me." I answered, taking a bite of my rice ball. "He's just jealous because I'm the top graduating Kunoichi, and he can't help but feel inferior to a girl."

"If you ask me, he can learn a lot from you." Shikamaru said.

I looked at him, confused. "If anything at all, his stupidity is gonna get me killed." I mumbled, taking a drink from my thermos of team.

I may have put on a brave show in class, but the words Naruto said still stung. I gulped down another bite of rice ball and sighed.

"We'll still be friends right?" I asked, solemnly.

"Huh?" Shikamaru and Choji asked in unison, giving me a look of confusion.

"I mean you won't replace me with Ino or anything, right?" I added.

"Why on Earth would we replace you with Ino?" Shikamaru asked.

"What even makes you think that?" Choji added.

"It doesn't have anything to do with what Naruto said, dose it?" Shikamaru asked, staring at me.

I sighed and looked down.

"C'mon Kris, you said it yourself, he's just jealous because you're better than him." Shikamaru said.

I gripped the cloth on my skirt. "Can you blame me for asking?" I asked, looking at the both of them. "I mean come on, Ino is prettier than I am. I can see that."

"No she isn't." Choji contradicted.

"You are a much prettier girl than Ino could ever hope to be." Shikamaru added.

I looked at the two of them. "You guys are my best friends, you're supposed to say things like that." I informed. "It's part of your job description."

"We mean that you know." Choji said, after he swallowed another dumpling.

"And to answer your first question," Shikamaru added, placing his hand on my knee, "Yes. We will still be friends, long after this." he smiled at me, which he seldom ever smiled.

I smiled back, taking the last bite of my rice ball. "Thanks guys, you're the greatest."

* * *

We continued to eat our lunches in peace. But Shikamaru had noticed Naruto not far away from us.

"Naruto." he said.

Me and Choji turned around.

Naruto carefully crept beside a wall and ambushed Sasuke. Me and Shikamaru gasped in shock.

"Naruto!" I growled. "What the hell are you thinking?" I asked. "This is so not good for team morale."

I heard the sounds of fighting. Then suddenly it died down. "What happened?" I asked.

A minute later, the window flap opened and Sasuke jumped out, smirking. He then just, ran off.

"He beat Naruto without even breaking a sweat." Shikamaru noted.

I sighed. "Well what do you expect?" I asked. "Naruto against Sasuke, no contest whatsoever." I sighed. "However, that's not a good rivalry to have when we're going to be training together from here on out."

"The you'll just have to put them in their place." Choji said, with a mouthful of rice.

"He does have a point." Shikamaru agreed.

I smiled and took the last drink of my team. "Yeah, you boys are right."

* * *

We finished our lunches about half an hour later. Just as we were packing up, Sasuke joined us.

"Hey Sasuke." I greeted.

"It's time to head back." he told us.

"Yeah we know." Shikamaru sighed.

We jumped down from where we were and walked back to the Academy.

"So how did you do it?" I asked.

"Do what?" Sasuke replied.

"Beat Naruto without breaking a sweat." I said.

Sasuke shrugged it off, "Quite easily actually." and he left it at that.

* * *

The walk back to the Academy was silent, and once we were there, only ten of us genin were left. Soon though, the Jonin senseis came.

The first one was a young woman with black hair, red eyes, and she wore a white dress with a thorn design, a red sleeve on her right arm, bandages on both wrists down to her fingers and thighs, and a red-trimmed mesh shirt under her white dress. Her name was Kurenai Yuhi, and she was the leader of Squad Eight; Hinata, Kiba, and Shino.

The next jonin to enter was a young man with tan skin, short black hair and a black beard. He wore the standard uniform for Konohagakure Shinobi, and also had a waistcloth with the kanji for fire on it. He held a lit cigarette in his teeth and smiled. His name was Asuma Sarutobi, and he was the leader of Squad Ten: Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino.

I waved goodbye as two of my best friends left with their sensei, now all who were left in the classroom were me, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura.


	4. Pass or Fail? Survival Test

**Pass or Fail? Survival Test.**

* * *

It's been two hours since the other teams had left with their new Jonin-sensei. The only genin left in the classroom were me and my teammates, Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, and Naruto Uzumaki. And it was very boring.

"He's late." Naruto pointed out. He peered out of the classroom door, waiting for our Jonin-sensei to arrive.

"Naruto, just sit down." Sakura scolded.

The blonde idiot groaned. "How come our teacher's the only one whose late?" he asked. "All of the others have met their senseis and are probably on an adventure or something. And Iruka-sensei's gone too."

"We know okay." I sighed, laying flat out on my back on one of the desks.

I placed my hands behind my head and looked up at the ceiling. "I'm pretty sure our sensei has some good reason for being late."

I turned over and saw Naruto on a stool and he placed an eraser between the door and the wall.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked, sitting up.

"That's what he gets for being late." Naruto answered. "Surprise!" he giggled.

Sakura put her hands on her hips, "You're asking for trouble." she scolded. "You know you shouldn't do that."

Sasuke sighed, "Our teacher's a Jonin, and elite ninja." he informed. "You think he's gonna fall for a stupid trick like that?"

* * *

Suddenly a gloved hand pushed on the door. All four of us genin were quiet as out Jonin-sensei walked in.

He was completely oblivious to the prank Naruto pulled. The eraser just fell right on his head.

"I got him!" Naruto laughed.

"I'm so sorry sensei." Sakura apologized. "I told him not to do it. I would never do anything like that."

I sat up and sat on the desk, looking over our new sensei. And to my surprise, it was my father, Kakashi Hatake.

"_Hmm…" _I giggled to myself. _"I'm put on a team with one of my best friends, an idiot, and a know-it-all, and my teacher is my own father. This is going to be really interesting."_

Kakashi-sensei looked at each one of us. "Let's see." he said. "My first impression of this group: you're a bunch of idiots."

We all sighed and sulked. I looked him straight in the eye and smiled. Yeah, this was going to be an interesting point in my life.

* * *

Our sensei led us to the archway and had us sit down.

"Alright, why don't we start by introducing ourselves." he started. "One at a time."

"Introduce ourselves?" Sakura repeated.

"What are we supposed to say?" I asked. '

"Things you like, things you hate, dreams for the future, hobbies." our sensei rattled off. "Things like that."

We all stared at him.

"Why don't you go first." Naruto voted. "You know introduce yourself to us so we can see hoe it's supposed to go."

"Me?" our sensei pointed to himself. "I'm Kakashi Hatake." he introduced. "Things I like and things I hate, I don't feel like telling you that."

"Huh?" Sakura, Naruto, and I asked in confusion.

"My dreams for the future…hmm…never thought of that." he added. "As for my hobbies… I have lots of hobbies."

All four of us looked at each other. "Well that was useless, all he really told us was his name." Sakura groaned.

I sighed, _"Typical Dad." _

"Okay now you guys." our sensei said. "You on the right, you go first."

Naruto smiled. "Believe it, my name's Naruto Uzumaki." he introduced. "I like instant Ramen in a cup, and I really like the Ramen Iruka-sensei got me, at the Ichiraku noodle shop. But I hate the three minutes you have to wait after you pour the water in the Ramen cup. My hobbies are eating different kinds of Ramen and comparing them. And my future dream is to be the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody. Somebody important!"

"Alright, next." said our sensei.

"My name is Sakura Haruno." Sakura introduced. The reaming answers to the questions were squeals and giggles.

Kakashi-sensei sighed, "Next." he said.

I smiled. "My name is Kristin Hatake." I introduced. "I like to spend time by the water and train, while I dislike slackers and push-overs. My hobbies are swimming, hanging out with friends, and training by the water of course. And my future dream is to be the greatest Kunoichi of my clan! To be a role model for future generations and to leave my mark in the way of the Kunoichi."

I smiled and ran my fingers through my ponytail.

I could see the look in my dad's eye, and I knew I made an impression.

"Okay, last one." he said, looking at Sasuke.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha." he introduced. "I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan, and kill a certain someone.."

The rest of us were silent. I looked into Sasuke's deep, onyx eyes, and was scared at what I saw. _"So that's why he's been distant these past few years." _I said to myself. _"That look in his eyes, it's almost scary. Something tells me, something bad might happen to us, soon."_

"Good." said our sensei, which broke me out of my daze. "You're each unique and you have your own ideas. We'll start our first mission tomorrow."

"What kind of mission is it?" Naruto asked.

"It's a task that the five of us will do together." answered Kakashi-sensei. Naruto edged him on. "A survival exercise."

"A survival exercise?" Naruto repeated.

"I thought we were supposed to have a real mission, not more practice." Sakura added. "We already did survival training at the Academy, that's how we got here."

"This won't be like your previous training." informed our sensei.

"So what kind of training is it then?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi-sensei began laughing.

"That's a normal question, what's so funny?" I asked.

Kakashi-sensei chuckled again. "Well if I tell you the answer, you're not gonna like it."

We all looked at him with confused looks.

"In this case, of the twenty-eight graduates who came from the Academy, only ten will be allowed to become genin." Kakashi-sensei informed. "The other nineteen will be weeded out and sent back to the Academy. In other words, this exam will be a make it or break it pass/fail test. And the probability of you failing is, at least, sixty-six percent."

We started at him with a variety of expressions. And we were silent.

"See? I told you, you wouldn't like it." chuckled Kakashi-sensei.

"What?!" Naruto yelled. "That's crazy! What was the stupid graduation test for anyway?"

"That?" question Kakashi-sensei. "That was a selected candidate exam for those who might become genin. In truth, I decide whether you pass or fail." he added, sternly. "Be at the designated training ground at five a.m., and bring your ninja gear."

"_There is no way I'm failing this test." _I said to myself. _"I'm going to pass and achieve my dream. I'll prove to you and everyone else, that I've got what it takes to be a true Kunoichi." _

Kakashi-sensei turned his back on us. "That's it, you're dismissed." he turned his head and looked at us. "Oh and you might want to skip breakfast tomorrow. If you don't, you'll puke."

We all stared at him as he disappeared, just like that. After a few minutes of calming down, we all stood up, and headed home.

* * *

My 4:30 alarm woke me up instantly. I quickly packed my ninja gear and strapped on my shuriken holster on my right thigh. I packed my lunch box and placed it in my satchel. By 4:45, I headed to the Third Training Ground, which is where Kakashi-sensei told us to meet.

We all met at five a.m. sharp.

"Morning everyone." Sakura yawned.

"Good morning guys." I added.

We all then stood around and waited for Kakashi-sensei. We waited…and waited…and waited some more.

* * *

Until finally, three hours later, he showed.

"Good morning everyone." he greeted.

"Hey! You're late!" Sakura and Naruto yelled in unison.

"Well a black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way around." our sensei said.

I smirked to myself, _"Yeah right, there are no black cats in our neighborhood." _I thought. _"You were still sleeping when I left home." _

"Alright, let's get started." said Kakashi-sensei.

He placed a clock on one of the posts. "It's set for noon." he said, pushing the button down on top of the clock. "You're task is simple, all you have to do is take these bells from me." he held three, small, silver bells in front of him. "If you can't get them by noon, you go without lunch. You will be tied to those posts and you'll watch while I eat my lunch in front of you."

I could hear the growling stomachs. _"You're cruel dad." _I groaned internally. _"He told us not to eat breakfast to make it harder on us all." _

"Hey wait a minute sensei." I said. "There's four of us, how come only three bells?" I asked.

"That way one of you will have to be tied to the post and ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission." answered our sensei. He jingled the bells. "That one goes back to the Academy."

We all stared at him, ready to start.

"But then again, all four of you could flunk out as well." he added. "You can use any weapons including shuriken. If you're not prepared to kill me, you won't be able to take the bells."

"But those weapons are too dangerous sensei!" Sakura pointed out.

"Especially since you weren't able to dodge that eraser." Naruto added.

"Class clowns are usually the weakest link, you know." I said, to Naruto. "You can easily ignore them."

Naruto glared at me.

"You can safely ignore the weakest links. Lowest scores, losers." added Kakashi-sensei. "When I say start, you can begin."

Naruto grabbed a kunai knife and charged towards Kakashi-sensei. In a blink of an eye, our sensei was right behind Naruto, pulling his arm back and held the kunai to the back of his head.

"Don't be in such a hurry." informed Kakashi-sensei. "I didn't say 'start' yet. But you did come at me with the full intention of destroying me." he said as he released Naruto. "So how can I say this? I actually starting to like you guys." we all exchanged glances and stared at our sensei. "Ready. Start!"

* * *

And with that, we diverged and hid. From where I was at before, I noticed a small inlet of water I could use to hide in, and that's where I went after diverging from the others. I was covered by the trees and bushes, and I still had a clear vantage point of the training ground; my team, and my sensei.

"Ninja must learn to conceal their movements, and hide effectively." Kakashi-sensei instructed.

None of us moved from our spot. Well, only three of us stayed hidden, Naruto just stood right in front of Kakashi-sensei.

"Right now you and me! Fair and square, let's go!" Naruto challenged.

"_Moron." _I sighed.

"You know compared to the others, you're a bit weird." said Kakashi-sensei.

"The only thing weird around here is your haircut." Naruto shot back. He broke into a sprint and charged fro our sensei.

I watched from my inlet, waiting to see how bad he was going to humiliate himself. After a few, unsuccessful, punches and kicks from Naruto, Kakashi-sensei got behind him and formed a hand sign similar to that of the Tiger.

"_What is he thinking?" _I asked in shock. _"He'll demolish Naruto with that sign, that's for Fire-style jutsu, one of the most dangerous styles of ninjutsu." _

I watched the Jonin-sensei carefully. And all he did was push his fingers into Naruto's rear and sent him flying into the water. He called the technique the "Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu: Thousand Years of Death".

Naruto landed a few feet away from me and slowly sank to the bottom. I carefully moved further into the trees, just barely stepping out of the river.

* * *

Suddenly two shuriken came from the water, I figured they were Naruto's. But all that happened was our sensei caught them, without taking his eyes off the book he began to read.

Naruto climbed out of the river, gasping for breath.

"You know you won't get lunch unless you take a bell by noon." Kakashi-sensei reinstated.

"Yeah, but you told us not to have breakfast." Naruto pointed out. "How can we fight when we're starving to death?"

I sighed, and heard the faint growling of more stomachs. _"Breakfast? I was too busy preparing for this thing I didn't even eat dinner last night. Bad idea." _I sighed again. _"This whole test is harder than I thought. How are we supposed to take a stupid bell, if one; we're starving, and two; we can't possibly match the speed and skill of Kakashi-sensei." _

Suddenly six more Narutos came from the water.

"Ha! You're overconfident sensei. You weren't ready for a shadow clone attack from the water, my best jutsu." Naruto gloated.

"Seven Narutos?" I questioned, jumping onto a tree branch for a better view. I observed closely. "Wait those aren't illusions. Those are solid clones." I gasped. "How was he able to master the Shadow Clone Jutsu? They never taught us that in the Academy."

All seven Narutos charged for Kakashi-sensei. Just as he was about to punch our Jonin leader, however, he ended up punching one of his clones.

I smirked. _"That's my father for you. Always waiting till the last possible second before throwing off a counter attack." _Our sensei had tricked Naruto with a replacement technique, switching his body with one of Naruto's shadow clones, and letting Naruto nail it instead of him. And in doing so, he made Naruto look like a total moron. I giggled to myself. "Who knew this training would prove to double as entertainment." I giggled again.

As I watched closely, I saw that Naruto had noticed a bell laying by the tree. I could also tell he was contemplating on picking it up.

"Don't fall for it Naruto." I warned, to myself.

But Naruto went for it anyway, and ended up in a trap. A rope sprang up and tied Naruto's feet together, and he hung upside-down from the tree branch.

Kakashi-sensei picked up the bell and tied it around his waist with the other two. "Think before you use a jutsu, otherwise your opponent might use it against you." he advised. "Also, if the bait is obvious, don't take it." he added. "A ninja must see through deception."

"I. Get. It." Naruto grunted, swinging from the rope.

"I'm telling you this because you don't get it." Kakashi-sensei rebuked. "You may think you get it, but that's not the same as actually getting it. Get it?"

I smirked, _"Typical, idiotic, Naruto. He never thinks things through." _

Suddenly, a barrage of shuriken and kunai came out of nowhere and impaled Kakashi-sensei. I gasped and watched as his body fell.


	5. You Failed! Kakashi's Final Decision

**You Failed! Kakashi's Final Decision.**

* * *

"Think before you use a jutsu, otherwise your opponent might use it against you." advised Kakashi-sensei. "Also, if the bait is obvious, don't take it." he added. "A ninja must see through deception."

"I. Get. It." Naruto grunted, swinging from the rope.

"I'm telling you this because you don't get it." Kakashi-sensei rebuked. "You may think you get it, but that's not the same as actually getting it. Get it?"

I smirked, _"Typical, idiotic, Naruto. He never thinks things through." _

Suddenly, a barrage of shuriken and kunai came out of nowhere and impaled Kakashi-sensei. I gasped and watched as his body fell.

* * *

But all it was, was another substitution jutsu. Knowing that our sensei's guard was up again, all of us moved to a new location.

I sensed him coming and quickly dove into the river. From under the surface, I saw Kakashi-sensei look around, carefully.

"I thought she would be around here somewhere." he said. "Maybe she's somewhere in the trees or bushes." he turned around and walked away.

I smirked. Once he was out of sight, I carefully swam away, deeper along the river, but paid close attention that I was still in the training area.

* * *

I surfaced and gasped for air. I swam to the edge and climbed out, leaning against a tree.

"With an attack like that from Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei's gonna have his guard up big-time." I noted. "And that's gonna make it damn near impossible to get a bell now. The only way I'll even have an opening it to catch him while he's busy fighting one of the others. When I see an opening, I'll swoop in, grab a bell, and quickly retreat."

I placed my hand over my shuriken holster and sighed. "I'll have to be quick, seeing as this is one of the top-notch Jonin of the Hidden Leaf Village."

I wrung out my wet ponytail and my clothes, so I wouldn't drip water everywhere. "Alright Kristin, you can do this." I told myself. "You're his daughter, you should know all of his tricks, and therefore avoid them." I jumped into a tree and carefully scouted for Kakashi-sensei. "Catch him when he's fighting one of the others, then…"

My train of thought was interrupted by a scream. Sakura's scream.

"Genjutsu." I breathed, another one of my father's tricks. "From the sound of the scream, I take it Sakura must've seen something out of her nightmares."

* * *

I scoffed and continued to scout, when I came across Sasuke, and Kakashi-sensei.

"_Perfect." _I thought. _"My chance is about to come. All I have to do is find an opening while dear old, daddy-sensei is fighting Sasuke. And also, I'll have the perfect cover for my escape." _I smiled to myself, and watched.

Sasuke charged right for Kakashi-sensei, and in return, our Jonin leader blocked every move. From the look in his eyes, I could Sasuke wasn't ready to give up. Earlier on he must've set a trap, because he set one off and Kakashi-sensei barely dodged it. In all the midst of fighting, I noticed that Sasuke managed to touch one of the bells.

"Well, you're different from the others." Kakashi-sensei noted. "I'll give you that much."

Sasuke smirked. He jumped back and performed a series of hand signs. I could pinpoint each and everyone; Horse-Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger. Only one jutsu had those hand signs in that order, the Fireball Jutsu, legendary to the Uchiha clan, Sasuke's clan.

Sasuke crated a huge fireball using chakra from his mouth that converted into flames, and it engulfed the area Kakashi-sensei stood in.

As the smoke cleared, Kakashi-sensei had seemingly vanished.

"_Where did he go?" _I asked, internally.

Just as Sasuke was doing, I scanned around, looking for him. Suddenly I felt a rumbled and then Kakashi-sensei's hand poked out from under the ground and grabbed Sasuke's leg.

"I'm where you least expect me to be." said our sensei. He pulled Sasuke's leg and buried him in the ground to where only his head was visible.

"Earth Style; Head Hunter Jutsu." I muttered. "Another one of his tricks."

* * *

As Kakashi-sensei was lecturing Sasuke, I saw my opportunity. I set off two traps I had set earlier and watched as my sensei dodged them.

"I was beginning to wonder where you went off too, young Kunoichi." he said.

I smirked and jumped from my tree. "Hello Kakashi-sensei." I smiled and giggled.

He shut his book and put it back in his holster.

I quickly did and clone jutsu and surrounded my sensei. _"Tatsu-Tora-U" _"Water Style: Raging Waves!"

With just three simple hand signs, all of my clones created a massive wave of water from converted chakra. I then quickly executed another set of signs _"Hitsuji-Tatsu-I-Tora-Ne" _"Water Style: Serpent's Whip!" I drew out a long, snake-like water whip and restrained my sensei.

"How did she do that?" I heard Sasuke ask.

Little did they know that all of those were clones. I jumped from another tree and threw a small shuriken at Kakashi-sensei. He dodged just like I predicted and I cut a bell loose from his belt.

I flew right in between the two and grabbed the bell. "Yes!" I cheered, landing.

The clones dispersed and the water fell to the ground.

Kakashi-sensei lunged for me and I dodged, clutching the bell. He had chased me to the water puddles made by my water technique. "Hidden Water Jutsu!" I landed on the puddle and vanished before my sensei could attack me.

* * *

I reemerged in the river, gasping for air. I swam to a nearby rock and climbed onto it, breathing slowly.

"I did it." I giggled, looking at the bell I held in my hand. I tossed it up and caught it. "Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, dad." I chuckled.

I decided to spend a few minutes resting and catching my breath before I headed back to the rest of my team.

* * *

"Kristin. Kristin." I heard my name being called and I shot up.

"Who's there?" I asked.

"I've always been here." said the voice. It was female, that's all I could pinpoint.

I looked around and then, I caught it. My reflection wasn't my own. My eyes were different as was my hair. My eyes were a darker shade of blue, and my hair was dark purple.

"You." my voice shook.

"Hello dearie." said the girl in my reflection.

I jumped back and landed on the river's edge. "What do you want?" I asked.

The other girl laughed. "Sweetie what could I possibly want when I have part of everything you have." she answered. "All I wanted to do was talk."

I smirked. "Yeah, why is that?"

"I just wanted to tell you congrats, you're the only member of your team to have gotten a bell." she said.

I knew who she was. The demon spirit inside of me, Helena. From far in the distance, I heard the clock ring. When I looked back at my reflection, Helena was gone.

* * *

When I caught up with the others, Naruto was tied to one of the posts and Sasuke and Sakura were sitting on either side of him. I sighed and sat next to Sasuke.

Kakashi-sensei appeared a few seconds later. He must've heard our growling stomachs, because he chuckled lightly. He sighed, "I've decided I'm not going to send any of you back to the Academy."

"Huh?" we all asked in unison.

"That means that all four of us…" Naruto began, giddy.

"Yes all four of you…" Kakashi-sensei repeated. "are being dropped from the program. Permanently."

Naruto and Sakura were silent, and I was shocked.

"Drop us from the program!?" Naruto exclaimed, flailing his arms and legs. "That means we can never become ninja! You said if we couldn't take the bells, we'd be sent back to the Academy! You can't just change the rules and kick us out! Why would you do that?"

"Because you four don't act like ninja." answered Kakashi-sensei. "You act like little kids, like brats."

Sasuke jumped up and charged towards our sensei.

"Sasuke!" Sakura and I yelled at the same time.

Kakashi-sensei pinned down Sasuke, holding one arm behind his back. "You think it's all about you." he said to Sasuke.

"Let go of Sasuke right now!" Sakura screamed. "You can't step on him like he's some bug!"

"You don't know what it means to be a ninja, you think it's some kind of a game huh?" asked Kakashi-sensei, sternly.

From the look in his eye, he was dead serious. This was a side of my father that I've never seen before.

Sakura whimpered when our sensei stared at her. Sasuke grunted underneath the weight of Kakashi-sensei. Naruto gasped and I solemnly nodded.

"Why do you think we put you on squads?" Kakashi-sensei asked. "Did you consider that question for one moment?"

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"I mean, none of you didn't realize what this entire exercise was about." Kakashi-sensei answered.

"What the exercise was about?" Naruto repeated.

"Yes. That determines whether you pass or fail." our sensei elaborated.

"But I uh…" I stuttered. "I wanted to ask you that from the beginning."

"Think about it." said our sensei. "Three people on a squad, four in our case. Why do you think we would do that?"

Sakura and I glanced at each other, and shrugged our shoulders.

"How are we supposed to know why you picked four people for this squad!?" Naruto asked, yelling. "We didn't make the rules!"

"It's so basic; Teamwork!" answered Kakashi-sensei.

We all four gasped.

"Just working together?" Sakura asked. "Is that what you mean?"

"Yes." answered Kakashi-sensei. "If all four of you might've come at me, you might have been able to take them." referring to the bells. "Well it's too late now, it's over."

Something about this didn't seem right. Four people in our squad, yet only three bells. "You set this up with four of us genin, but only three bells." I pointed out. "If all four of us could get the bells, only three of us would be able to keep them. That would then lead to group conflict and the squad would break up!"

"Exactly." said our sensei. "I purposely pitted you four against each other. I wanted to see of you could overcome that and put the squad ahead of yourselves. A genin should have natural feel for teamwork. But that didn't even cross your minds." he added. "Sakura!" he yelled, and the girl gasped. "You obsessed over Sasuke even though he was gone, and Naruto was right in front of you and you didn't lift a finger to help him."

Sakura sighed in defeat.

"Naruto," sensei continued. "you do everything on your own, everything."

Kakashi-sensei looked at me. "Kristin, you were only focused on getting the bells, and completely ignored your teammates. When you saw an opening, you ambushed me and snatched a bell, then you scampered off into the water and left Sasuke where he was, not bothering to help him out."

I closed my eyes and sighed. I dug out the bell and tossed it to Kakashi-sensei. "I must say, I'm very disappointed in you."

I gasped and looked at my father, who ignored my gaze. "And then you Sasuke." Sensei went on. "You thought the others were so far beneath you, you couldn't care less about them."

We all understood what he meant, and he continued on with his lecture. "Ninja missions are carried out in squads, of course you need individual skills, but teamwork is the most essential element. Every shinobi understands this." he continued. "When individuals put themselves ahead of the squad, this will lead to failure and death." he reached into his pouch and dug out a kunai knife. "For example," he placed the knife to Sasuke's throat. "Sakura, kill Naruto now or Sasuke dies!"

We all gasped.

"That's what happens on a mission." Kakashi-sensei went on. "The enemy takes a hostage and you're left with an impossible choice, and then someone ends up dead." he put the kunai back in his pouch and got off of Sasuke, turning his back to us. "On every mission your life is on the line." and with that, he walked away and stood in front of a beautiful stone with names etched on it.

"Did you look at this stone? The names engraved on it?" he asked. "They were all ninja who are regarded as heroes of our village."

"Yeah, that's it! That's it!" Naruto exclaimed. "I've decided I'm gonna have my name etched on that stone. I'm not gonna live and die for nothing, I'm gonna be a hero! A hero!"

Kakashi-sensei turned his head and looked at us, "These are a special kind of hero."

"What kind of heroes are they?" Naruto asked. "C'mon tell us."

"They are all…" Kakashi-sensei started. "KIA."

Naruto smiled. "That sounds real cool." he said.

I turned to him. "It means 'Killed In Action'." I informed. "They all died."

Naruto's expression changed, and he solemnly sighed.

"This is a memorial stone." sensei elaborated. "The names of my closet friends are engraved here."

I sighed and looked at my father, who had his back turned still to us. _"Daddy." _I sighed.

He turned and faced us. "Alright, I'm going to give you one more chance." he said. "You'll have three hours to get a bell. Eat lunch now to gain your strength, but Naruto doesn't get any."

"What?" Naruto asked.

"That's your punishment for trying to break the rules and eat lunch first." Kakashi-sensei said. "And if anyone tries to feed him, that person will immediately fail." We all looked at him, and he stared back at us. "I make the rules, you four follow them."

* * *

Kakashi-sensei vanished and left us alone to eat our lunches. We opened them and ate silently. The only sounds were the sounds of chewing, and Naruto's growling stomach, which was getting pretty annoying.

"This is no big deal! I can go without eating for days! Weeks! Believe it! This is no big deal!" Naruto yelled. But his stomach said so otherwise.

Sasuke took another bite of rice and handed his lunch to Naruto.

"Sasuke, you heard what Kakashi-sensei said." I warned.

"He's gone." Sasuke informed. "We need to get those bells as a team. If Naruto's hungry, he'll be week and ineffective. That, in turn, hurts the team and jeopardizes the mission."

Sakura and I looked at each other, our lunches, Sasuke, and then to Naruto.

Sakura held her lunch out to Naruto, and smiled.

"Thanks Sakura." Naruto said.

"Don't thank me, just hurry up and eat." Sakura replied. "I don't eat as much as Sasuke, so go on and take it Naruto."

"I can't take it." he informed. "I can't move my hands, you'll have to feed me."

Sakura gaped, "What?"

"Hurry up." I motioned. "Sensei could come back any minute."

"This is a one time only thing Naruto." Sakura informed, holding out her chopsticks with rice in them.

Naruto took the bite and swallowed it.

* * *

Suddenly Kakashi-sensei appeared. "You broke the rules!" he said. "I hope you're ready for the punishment." he did three hand signs and conjured up some kind of storm jutsu. "Any last words?"

We all stood our ground.

"But…yo…you sa…said…" Naruto stuttered.

"Yes?" edged on Kakashi-sensei.

"You said that there was four of us." Naruto answered. "So that's why they…" he looked at Sakura, me, then Sasuke.

"We're all on this squad, and we're in this together." Sasuke added.

Sakura and I nodded.

"That's right." Sakura said.

"We decided to give our lunch to him because the four of us are one team." I added.

Kakashi-sensei walked towards us, "'The four of you are one'." he repeated. "That's your excuse?"

We all looked at each other and then back at our sensei.

"You pass." said our sensei.

"Huh?" Sakura, Naruto, and I asked in unison.

"You. Pass." Kakashi-sensei repeated.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"How did we pass?" I added.

"You're the first squad that ever succeeded." answered Kakashi-sensei. "The others did exactly as I said, and fell into every trap. They couldn't think for themselves." he added, standing up. "A ninja must see through deception." he looked us right in the eyes. "In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, that is true. But, those who abandon their friends, are worse than scum."

I smiled, that's what he had always said to me when I was younger. Now I see what the whole test was really about, and the lesson I learned, I'll be sure to teach it to my sister, and future generations of my clan.

"You know, he is kinda cool." Naruto said, tearing up.

"The exercise is over. Everyone passes." Kakashi-sensei concluded. "Squad Seven starts its first mission tomorrow!" he gave us the thumbs up.

"Yes." Sakura cheered.

"Alright! Yay!" I exclaimed, jumping up and down.

"I'm a ninja! Believe it!" yelled Naruto.

"Let's go home." said our sensei.

We proceded to walk ahead, when we heard Naruto calling us. Oops, we forgot he was still tied to the post.

* * *

I grabbed a shuriken from my holster and tossed it, cutting through Naruto's ropes.

"Come on you idiot, we're going to leave you behind!" I called.

Naruto ran and caught up to us.

"Ya know, you're not half-bad sensei." he said. "You really are cool."

Kakashi-sensei smiled.

"Of course he's cool." I agreed. "After all, he is my father."

"Father!?" Naruto repeated, shocked.

"You didn't know that?" Sakura asked.

"No." Naruto answered.

"They have the same last name." Sasuke pointed out.

"But Kristin doesn't even look like him." Naruto said.

I giggled. "On the outside I look like my mom." I informed. "But my personality and ninja skills, I'm just like my dad." I smiled and looked up to him.

He placed his hand on my shoulder. "That's my girl."

"Awesome." Naruto sighed.

"I know." I giggled.

We continued on home. Tomorrow we were ready to start our first mission.

* * *

**A/N: **Well that's it, the chapters of the Inroduction Arc are done! I hope you all like the chapters so far, and i hope you'll like the next ones. The next arc is the Land of Waves Arc, whe Squad Seven gets a mission that might be a bit advanced for them. Read and Review and I will try to have the next chapters up soon^^ Ciao!


	6. A Dangerous Mission!

**A Dangerous Mission! Journey To The Land Of Waves!**

* * *

**A/N: **Hey ya'll, here's the next chapter of the story. Now we're heading into some action with Squad Seven. This chapter starts the Land of Waves arc, where the group gets a misson that wasn't what they bargined for. Think they can handle it? Find out^^

* * *

It was a bright, sunny day. A perfect day for a mission. As per our sensei's orders, Squad Seven positioned themselves in a perimeter around our target.

"Sasuke, I'm at point B." said our Uchiha teammate over our com devices.

"Sakura, I'm at point C." said the other female Kunoichi on our team.

"Kristin, I'm at point A." I said, me. Kristin Hatake, daughter of our sensei, Kakashi.

We waited a few minutes, then finally the fourth member of our team reported his location. "Naruto, I'm at point D. Believe it."

"You're slow Naruto." scolded our sensei. "Okay Squad Seven," he was just about to say an order, when our target moved at the last second. "Follow it!"

Us four genin immediately moved from our positions and, still in our formation, followed the little shadow that was our target.

"What's your distance from the target?" asked Kakashi-sensei.

I peered from behind the tree, "Five meters, sensei." I answered.

"I'm ready, just give the signal." Naruto added.

"I'm ready too." followed Sasuke.

"So am I." said Sakura.

"As am I." I finished off.

We carefully watched the target.

"Okay…Now!" Kakashi-sensei gave the order and we moved in on our target.

Naruto wrapped his arms around it, and it didn't like the surprise.

"We got her sensei!" I informed.

Our target was a cat with brown fur with lighter colored markings on her head, and amber eyes.

"Did you verify the red ribbon on the right ear?" asked our sensei.

"Affirmative." answered Sasuke.

During that, the cat was scratching Naruto, trying to get away.

"Good." praised Kakashi-sensei. "Lost pet, Tora, captured. Mission Accomplished."

"Can't we get a better mission than this!?" Naruto asked, yelling into our com unit. "I hate cats!"

* * *

We returned to the Academy, which is where the Hokage and other shinobi handed out missions to various teams. One of shinobi present was our old teacher, Iruka-sensei.

The wife of the Land of Fire's Feudal Lord, Madam Shijimi, was awaiting the return of Tora, her cat that we had captured. Upon being returned, Madam Shijimi embraced Tora, tightly, causing the cat to meow in disagree.

"Ha! Stupid cat!" Naruto laughed. "That kitty deserves to be squashed."

"No wonder she ran away." Sakura noted.

"If I was crushed like that every day, I probably would've run away too." I added, agreeing with Sakura.

"Now then," said the Third Hokage. "for Squad Seven's next mission, we have several available tasks." he cleared his throat. "Babysitting the chief counselors three-year-old, helping his wife do the shopping, picking up potatoes…"

He was cut off by Naruto's complaining. "No!" he interjected. "I want a real mission! Not this little kid stuff!"

"_You're such a pain Naruto." _I thought.

"How dare you!" scolded Iruka-sensei. "You're just a brand-new genin with no experience. Like everyone else you go on missions to develop your skills and prove yourself!"

"Are you kidding!?" Naruto questioned, yelling. "Babysitting isn't a real mission, it's just a stupid-"

Kakashi-sensei hit Naruto over the head with his fist. "Will you put a lid on it?" he sighed.

Wow, like father, like daughter. I was just about to hit Naruto myself. He sat up, rubbing his head.

"Naruto." said the Third. "You obviously don't understand the task you have been given."

We all looked the Third Hokage as he spoke to us. "Different kinds of requests come into our village every day; from babysitting to assassinations." he informed us. "These requests are reviewed, analyzed, and then ranked A, B, C, or D, depending on their difficulty. We ninja are also ranked, depending on our skills; Hokage, Jonin, Chunin, and Genin at the bottom. As with missions, we assign ninja based on skills and experience. And if that mission is successful, we receive a fee that helps the village. As untried genin, you are given D-level missions for now."

I want to bet that Naruto checked out of that lecture as soon as the Hokage began explaining the different mission levels. Naruto turned to the Third, "You're always lecturing me like you're my grandfather or something." he said. "I'm not the little brat who used to pull pranks, I'm a ninja now, and I want a ninja mission." he turned back around and crossed his arms, pouting.

"I'm gonna hear about this later." Kakashi-sensei sighed.

Iruka-sensei and the Third chuckled. "Naruto wants us to know that he's not a brat, he's a former brat." the Third chuckled again. "Alright, since you are so determined, very well. I'll give you a C-ranked mission." he announced, much to our surprise. "You'll be bodyguards on a journey."

"Really?' Naruto asked, turning back to face the panel. "Yay! So who is it? Are we guarding a princess? Or some big-wig counselor?"

"Don't be so impatient." said the Third. "I'll bring him in now. Send in our visitor."

* * *

We looked behind us and the door slowly opened. A tall man with tan skin, and grey hair and a beard stepped through.

"What the?" he asked. "A bunch of kids?" he took a long, swig of sake from his bottle. Then he looked at the four of us genin. He pointed to Naruto, "And you with the idiotic look on his face, you really expect me to believe you're a ninja?"

Naruto chuckled. "Who's the little one with the idiotic look?" he asked.

Sasuke, Sakura, and I exchanged glances and stepped closer. Out of all four of us, Naruto was the shortest. That made him angry.

Kakashi-sensei held Naruto by the collar of his jacket while he ranted, "I'll demolish you!"

"You can't demolish the client Naruto, it doesn't work like that." said our sensei.

The client took another swig of sake before speaking. "I am Tazuna, a master bridge builder and I must return to my country." he introduced. "I'm building a bridge there that will change our world and I expect you to get me there safely, even if it means giving up your life."

"Very well then." said the Third. "Squad Seven, you have your mission. Now go and carry it out."

We nodded to our Hokage and left the room, with Tazuna following. Since he was our client, he walked with Kakashi-sensei and me while we ran home to get our ninja gear and pack our bags for the long journey ahead.

* * *

I folded my clothes and set them in my satchel. I also packed a small, first aid kit just in case anything should happen. I heard a knock on my door.

"Yes?" I asked, turning to the doorway, and there stood my father. "Daddy."

"You almost done packing?" he asked.

I threw in some bandages and an extra set of my normal outfit and nodded. "Yes I am."

"Good." he said. "There's just one thing I need to go over with you."

"Sure dad, what is it?" I asked, slinging my satchel over my shoulder and across my body.

"That." he said. "You know about the guidelines when family members go on missions right?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"And the psychological effects it can have on you." he prided.

"Yes dad, I know." I told him.

He sighed. "On this mission, and on future ones, I want you to call me sensei."

I nodded. "I understand, dad."

"Around the house it's okay. And I've already told Tazuna as well." he informed.

I smiled. "Well, I'm ready to go," I walked past him, "sensei." I winked.

* * *

As we walked towards the village gate, I came across Shikamaru and Choji, who were happily enjoying a snack.

"I thought you guys would be on a mission or something?" I asked, walking up to them.

"Nah, we were just catching a break before we met up with Asuma." Shikamaru answered.

"So where are you headed off to Kris?" Choji asked, with a mouth full of potato chips.

"I'm on my way to the Land of Waves." I answered, smiling.

"That's a pretty long way from here." Shikamaru noted. "Why are you going there?"

"An escort mission." I answered. I turned to Tazuna and Kakashi-sensei, who were talking. "Squad Seven is to escort the bridge builder to his country safely." I repeated the summary of the mission.

"Sound pretty cool." Choji said.

"So a C-rank mission huh?" Shikamaru asked.

I nodded. "After Naruto's bitching and complaining, the Hokage caved and gave us a C-rank."

"Sounds like Naruto." both of the boys laughed.

I lightly punched each of them in the arm. "Well I had better get going." I turned to leave, but not before giving each of them a hug.

"I guess have a good time on your mission." Choji said, hugging me. "You want a bag of chips for the road?"

I shook my head. "No thanks Choji."

I turned to Shikamaru. "Be safe, okay." he said, hugging me.

I hugged back, "I will."

I faced the both of them. "Sasuke and I will fill you in when we get back, okay?"

They nodded. "See ya."

"Bye guys." I smiled and walked to the gate with my sensei and our client.

* * *

We met up at the village entrance. Naruto walked ahead, while the rest of stuck closer to Kakashi-sensei.

"Yay!" Naruto cheered.

"What are you so excited about Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"This is the first time I've ever left the village." Naruto replied. "I'm a traveler now, believe it."

"Am I really supposed to trust my life with this runt, he's a joke." Tazuna said.

Kakashi-sensei chuckled lightly, "He's with me, and I'm a Jonin." he said.

"Trust us sir, you'll be fine." I added. "Just ignore Naruto and all will be good."

Naruto turned to us, "Never insult a ninja, it's a big mistake." he warned. "Someday I'm gonna be Hokage and you'll look up to me! My name's Naruto Uzumaki, remember it!"

"Hokage are powerful and wise. You're puny and brainless." Tazuna said. "The day you become Hokage, I'll sprout wings and fly."

Naruto grunted. "I will become Hokage and then everyone will have to admit that I'm the top ninja, including you!"

Tazuna looked at him, "You can become Hokage ten times over, but to me you'll still be nobody, a loser." and with that, he walked off.

Naruto was fuming, but Kakashi-sensei held him back. "I told you, you're supposed to protect the client, not attack him."

I rolled my eyes and sighed. This was going to be a long mission.

* * *

We caught up to Tazuna and followed him, since he knew the way to his country better than us.

Naruto walked ahead while the remainder of us stayed back with Tazuna.

"Say, Mr. Tazuna." Sakura said, "You're country is the Land of Waves right?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Tazuna asked.

I turned to our sensei. "Kakashi-sensei, there are ninja in that country too, right?"

"No." he answered. "There are no ninja in the Land of Waves. But in other countries there are hidden villages with their own cultures and customs, where ninja reside."

Sakura and I nodded. Kakashi-sensei then went on to tell us that each of the hidden villages are the military strength for the lands in which they live. However, they are not ruled by any government, and instead rule themselves, making them all equal in terms of power. But the Land of Waves is a small island, and has a natural defense, the sea, so it doesn't have a need for ninja to protect it. He described the hidden villages within the five great nations, and that only the leaders of those village are permitted the name of 'Kage'.

"Don't worry, there are no ninja battles in a C-ranked mission." Kakashi-sensei said, placing his hand on the top of my head.

"So we won't run into any foreign enemy then, right?" I asked.

Kakashi-sensei chuckled, "Not likely." he said.

A part of me was relieved, but another part was just itching for a fight.

* * *

We continued down the path. We crossed a small stream and headed through a small forest.

"The scenery does get pretty boring." I sighed, looking around. As I walked, I could feel someone was watching us.

I tugged on my sensei's sleeve, "Kakashi-sensei." I whispered.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I feel like someone's watching us." I admitted, looking around.

Kakashi-sensei took a quick look and chuckled. "Don't worry, it's not a threat." he said, pointing towards a small grove in the bushes.

I looked where he was pointing and saw a pair of big, brown eyes starting at me. Soon a head poked out of the bushes, and it wasn't human.

A deer peeked its head out and lowered it to the ground, as if to nod or bow.

"Deer?" I questioned.

"You've been friends with Shikamaru for six years and didn't even know about that?" asked Kakashi-sensei.

I looked at him, then mentally face palmed. Duh, the forests surrounding the Land of Fire are home the many deer raised by the Nara clan. I had completely forgotten about that. I turned back to the deer and nodded to him before he turned and left.

* * *

We continued walking the trail, silently. Suddenly, I felt that someone was coming. Just as soon as I realized it, two unknown ninja attacked Kakashi-sensei, wrapping him in bladed chains.

In a swift movement, they cut him into pieces.

"Kakashi-sensei!" the four of us screamed in unison.

The two ninja appeared behind Naruto, who stood frozen.

"You're next." one of them said.

Sasuke jumped into the fight and threw a shuriken and a kunai knife, pinning the chains to a nearby tree, saving Naruto's life. In another swift movement, he severed the chains from the ninja and tossed them aside.

However, they quickly recovered for the attack and headed straight for us.

Sakura and I exchanged a quick glance at each other and nodded. She took out and kunai knife and defended Tazuna, while I stood in front of her, and prepared my hands for my water style combo.

Just as I was about to release my raging waves technique, Sasuke jumped in front of me, putting himself between me and the ninja.

Suddenly, Kakashi-sensei appeared, grabbing the two ninja by the neck, saving us all. He looked at all of us.

"_Nice timing, dad." _I said to myself.

"Sorry I didn't step in earlier Naruto, it's not that I didn't want to, I just didn't think you would freeze like that." said Kakashi-sensei. He then turned to Sasuke, Sakura, and me. "Nice work Sasuke, very smooth. You too Sakura, and you as well Kristin."

I put my hand behind my head. "Thanks sensei." I giggled.

Sasuke turned to Naruto and said, "You're not hurt are ya? Scardy cat."

Naruto then yelled at Sasuke and was about to punch him, when our Kakashi-sensei called his name. "Don't move Naruto." he advised. "These ninja have poison in their claws, we need to get it out of you quickly."

I looked at Naruto and saw a deep gash on his hand. "The poison is in your blood." I added. "If you move around, it only spreads."

* * *

Kakashi-sensei tied up the two ninja to a nearby tree. "They're Chunin from the Village Hidden in the Mist." he informed. "Their specialty is relentless attacks."

"How did you know about our ambush?" asked one of the Chunin.

"A puddle, on a clear day, when it hasn't rained in weeks." answered Kakashi-sensei.

"In that case," Tazuna said. "Why did you leave it for the genin to do the fighting?"

"I could have taken them out quickly." Kakashi-sensei informed. "But I would have learned nothing. I needed to know who their target was and what they were after."

"What are you getting at?" Tazuna asked.

Kakashi-sensei turned to him. "This. I needed to know if they were after us; ninja attacking ninja, or if they were after you; the master bridge builder." he answered. "When you put in your request, you asked for standard protection from robbers and highway men. You didn't say that there were ninja after you, hunting you down. If we had known this it would've been a B-ranked mission or higher. Our task was simply to get you to your destination and protect you while you finish building your bridge. If we knew we were fight ninja, we would've staffed differently and charged for a B-ranked mission. Apparently you have your reasons, but lying to us is unacceptable. We are no longer in the scope of the mission."

"We're only genin, this is to advanced for our level of training." I said. "We should head back. And I also think we need to treat Naruto's wound and get the poison out as soon as possible."

"Back in our village we can take him to a doctor." Sakura added.

Kakashi-sensei looked at Naruto and sighed. "Naruto's hand could become a problem. I guess we should go back to village."

My father was a conniving man. He knew that would get Naruto worked up, and it did.

Naruto took a kunai knife and stabbed his wound, grunting at the pain. The rest of us gasped as blood spilled after the wound was reopened.

"Why am I do different?" Naruto asked. "Why am I always…"

"Naruto stop that!" Sakura scolded.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I've worked so hard to get here, pushing myself until it hurt, training alone for hours, anything to get stronger, to reach my dream." Naruto said. "I will never back down again and have somebody else rescue me. I will never run away, and I won't ever loose to Sasuke." he added. "Upon this wound, I make this pledge. Bridge builder, I'll complete this mission and protect you with this kunai knife." Naruto turned to face us, and we all saw the truth behind that pledge, in his eyes.

"Naruto, that was really cool how you took the poison out and all." Kakashi-sensei said. "But if you loose any more blood, you're going to die."

Naruto froze. Kakashi-sensei walked over to him and smiled, "Good idea to stop the bleeding now, seriously."

Naruto started freaking out, much to the dismay of our sensei, and the rest of us.

"Give me your hand." said Kakashi-sensei.

Sakura and I walked up to him.

"Naruto you have a self abusive personality." Sakura pointed out.

"It's called masochism." I added.

Kakashi-sensei took Naruto's hand and examined the wound. I dug out a roll of bandages and handed it to him. After he bandaged up Naruto's wound, he tossed the roll back to me and I returned it to my satchel.

* * *

"Hey Sasuke." I said, walking next to him as we continued down the path.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking at me.

"I wanted to say thanks for saving me and all, back there." I answered.

"You're welcome." he replied. "That's what friends are for."

I nodded. "Yeah. But I also had a plan in mind."

"Save your jutsu for another battle." Sasuke advised. "It'll do you a lot better when your surrounded by your element." he walked ahead of me.

I scoffed. "Mr. Know it all." I shrugged my shoulders and followed him.


	7. The Assassin of the Mist!

**The Assassin of the Mist.**

* * *

There was a thick cloud of fog as we silently crept along the water. We were nearing our destination, and from here on out, we had to keep our guard up, in the case of another enemy ninja attack.

"This fog is so thick, you can't see anything." Sakura whispered.

She and Sasuke sat in the middle of the boat, Naruto was up front, and I was in the back with Kakashi-sensei and Tazuna.

"The bridge isn't far now." said Kaji, who was rowing the boat we were all in. "Our destination is just ahead, the Land of Waves."

Soon we came upon the bridge. We slowly crept up on it. It was a big bridge, and it seemed barely half-way finished.

"Wow! It's huge!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Quiet." Kaji whispered sharply. "I told you no noise."

Naruto clamped his hands over his mouth.

"This is why we cut off the engine and are moving through the dense fog." Kaji added. "So they don't see us."

From how he spoke, I was afraid of 'they' were.

"Mr. Tazuna." Kakashi-sensei said. From the tone in his voice, he was still a bit angry for Tazuna lying to us. "Before we reach the pier, I need to ask you something." he added. "The men who are after you, I need to know why. If you don't tell us, I'm afraid I'll have to end this mission when we drop you ashore."

Tazuna sighed and looked my sensei right in the eye. "I have no choice but to tell you. No, I want you to know the truth. Like you said, this is beyond the scope of your original mission." he said. "The person who wants my life is a very short man, who casts a long and deadly shadow."

"A deadly shadow?" I repeated.

"Who is it?" asked Kakashi-sensei.

"I'm sure you know him, or have at least heard his name." Tazuna answered. "He's one of the wealthiest men in the world, the shipping magnate, Gatō."

"Gatō?" Kakashi-sensei repeated. "Of Gatō Transport? He's a business leader, everyone knows him."

"Who?" Naruto asked.

"Gatō is a tycoon from a wealthy company." I answered.

"Yes, that's true." Tazuna agreed. "But underneath the surface, with the same ruthlessness he uses to take over business and nations, he sells drugs and contraband using gangs and ninja." he added. "It was one year ago, when Gatō set his sight on the Land of Waves. He came to our island and used his vast wealth to take total control of our transport and shipping. Anyone who tried to stand in his way just disappeared."

Sakura and I looked at each other and gulped.

"In an island nation, the man who controls the sea controls everything; finance, government, our very lives." Tazuna continued. "But there is one thing he fears, the bridge. When it is complete, it will join us to the land and that will break his control." he faced us. "I am the bridge builder." he then looked up at the bridge behind us.

"So that's it." Sakura noted. "Since you're the one in charge, you're standing in this gangster's way."

"That means," Sasuke added. "those guys in the forest, they were working for Gatō."

From the look on Naruto's face, he was trying to comprehend what we were all saying.

"I don't understand. If you knew he was dangerous and that he would send ninja to eliminate you, why did you hide that from us?" asked Kakashi-sensei.

"Because the Land of Waves is a small and poverish nation." Tazuna answered. "Even our nobles have little money. The commoners building the bridge cannot pay for an A or B-ranked mission, it's too expensive." he added. "If you end the mission when you drop me ashore, there will be no bridge. They'll assonate me, before I reach home."

We all started at him.

"But don't worry about that." Tazuna continued. "Of course my sweet, little grandson will be upset, he'll cry 'Granddad! I want my Granddad!'."

Me and Sakura glared at him.

"Oh and my daughter will condemn the ninja of the Hidden Leaf." he added on. "Denouncing and blaming you for abandoning her father and living her life in sorrow."

Us four genin glanced at one another.

"But don't worry about that." Tazuna finished.

We all looked up at our sensei, who sighed. "Well I guess we have no other choice." said Kakashi-sensei. "We'll have to keep guarding you."

"Oh I'm so grateful" Tazuna thanked.

"We're approaching the shore." Kaji told us. "We've been very fortunate, no one has noticed us so far."

"Nice going." Tazuna praised.

* * *

As we entered the Land of Waves, the fog instantly cleared up to reveal a small, island nation. All the houses had front docks, to me it seemed like a water-style ninja's paradise.

Kaji docked the boat and we all got off, Tazuna being the last. After we were all off, Kaji sped away.

"Now take me to my home." Tazuna ordered. "And I mean get me there in one piece."

"Right." said Kakashi-sensei.

We started off towards Tazuna's house.

"_The next ninja they send after us won't be Chunin, they'll be Jonin." _I thought. _"Elite ninja with deadly skill. Great." _I sighed.

* * *

We had to take a small forest path to get to Tazuna's house. The vegetation was beautiful. But it was hard to focus, when Sasuke and Naruto kept trying to pass each other.

Naruto ran ahead and looked both ways a few times.

"Over there!" he said, throwing a kunai knife in the bushes.

Sakura, Tazuna, Kakashi-sensei, and I halted and gasped.

"It was just a mouse." Naruto cleared.

Sakura growled. "Mouse my foot! You're so obvious it's embarrassing." she scolded.

"Naruto, those aren't toys." I added. "Those are kunai knives, they're dangerous."

"Stop trying to scare me you scrumpy, little dwarf!" Tazuna yelled.

Naruto was ignoring us and trying to find trouble. He then threw another kunai in the opposite direction.

"That's it Naruto!" Sakura scolded, hitting him in the back of his head.

"Why did you do that?' Naruto asked. "Someone is following us I mean it."

I rolled my eyes and walked over to the bushes where Naruto had thrown the kunai. Kakashi-sensei was beside me.

What we found, was a very scared, dazed white rabbit. Naruto ran up to it and began hugging it, apologizing.

"All this fuss over a rodent?" Tazuna sighed.

"At this rate we won't reach your house until sundown." I pointed out. I put my hand to my forehead and sighed, raking my fingers through my pink bangs.

Something didn't feel right to me. Rabbits like that one only have white fur in winter, it would have to be raised indoors during this time of year to keep the color constant. I then felt a shiver run down my spine; someone was watching us. And, if I was a betting girl, I would bet it was the Jonin Gatō hired to take out Tazuna.

* * *

My suspicion was correct when, all of a sudden, Kakashi-sensei yelled, "Look out!"

We all turned to see a very long, very sharp sword being thrown at us. We all ducked last second.

"What the hell was that!?" I screamed, looking up.

A tall, muscular man, with pale skin, short, spiky black hair and deep, almost creepy, brown eyes is who it was. On his forehead, he wore a blue headband with the Hidden Mist symbol on it. He stood on his sword, back to us. Only he turned his around so he could watch us.

"Well, well, well." said Kakashi-sensei, as he approached the other Jonin. "If it isn't Zabuza Momochi, rogue ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist."

I gasped. If he was a rogue ninja, that means he's even more of threat. I was not liking what was unfolding right before me. To be honest, I was scared.

Naruto, on the other hand, charged right for him, only to be stopped by Kakashi-sensei.

"You're in the way, get back." he warned.

"But why?" Naruto asked.

"He's not like those other ninja." Kakashi-sensei answered. "He's in a whole other league." he moved his hand from in front of Naruto, to his headband, which covered his left eye. "If he's our opponent, I'll need this." he said, gently lifting up his headband. "This could be treacherous."

I gasped. _"He isn't going to use that is he?" _I asked internally. _"This Zabuza guy must be bad, if my dad is going to resort using that."_

"Kakashi of the Sharingan eye." Zabuza said. "Did I get that right?"

I gasped again. _"How does he know about my dad's Sharingan?" _Just who the hell was the guy.

"It's too bad huh? But I'm afraid you'll have to give up the old man." Zabuza told us.

"_So this is the guy Gatō hired." _I thought. _"This fight is going to get ugly."_

"Now quick, Manji formation!" ordered Kakashi-sensei. "Protect the bridge builder, and stay out of this fight."

Kakashi-sensei lifted up his headband and that revealed his left eye. It had a scar over it, some old injury from the Third Great Ninja War, and when he opened his left eye, it revealed a red iris and three, black tomoe around his pupil.

I remember my dad telling me about it, but I've never really seen it before. As far back as I can remember, he's always had the Sharingan eye.

"Well, it looks like I get to see the Sharingan in action." Zabuza said. "This is an honor."

"Everyone keeps saying 'Sharingan' 'Sharingan.'. Will somebody please tell me what 'Sharingan' is?" Naruto asked.

"Sharingan." Sasuke repeated. "A rare power that resides in the eyes. The user of this visual jutsu, or dōjutsu, can easily comprehend any ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu, and reflect the attack back on the attacker. The Sharingan is a special, rare form of dōjutsu."

"However," I added. "there's more to the Sharingan than just that. A lot more."

"You got it right kids." Zabuza told us. "But you two only scratched the surface; the Sharingan can analyze an opponent's technique, and then copy it to the smallest detail."

* * *

Suddenly a thick mist rolled in, which was odd considering we were in the forest and the sun was still out.

"As for you, Jonin, we of the Assassination Unit of the Hidden Mist have a standing order to destroy you on sight." Zabuza added. "Your profile was in our bingo book. It called you 'The Man Who Copied Over A Thousand Jutsu; Kakashi: The Copy Ninja."

I had never known that about my father, let alone knew he was in some kind of bingo book. I had just learned more about my dad in the past ten minutes than what I knew the past twelve years.

Zabuza leaned down on his sword, "Enough talking. I need to exterminate the old man." he said. "Now."

* * *

In that instant, we moved to our formation. Sasuke and I took point while Sakura and Naruto guarded the left and right flanks of Tazuna. Even from our formation, we could all still see the battle that was about to commence between our sensei, and the Assassin of the Mist.

"So, I'll have to eliminate you first, eh Kakashi?" Zabuza noted. He chuckled darkly. "So be it."

In a swift movement, Zabuza went from the tree to the lake a foot or two away from us. He landed gracefully and began building up a huge amount of chakra.

"He's over there!" Naruto pointed out.

"Standing on the water!" Sakura exclaimed.

Any skilled ninja can stand on water. Those ninja who excel in Water-Style jutsus, like me, can have quite and advantage once we master the technique of standing and walking on water.

* * *

The mist grew thicker, and Zabuza just vanished.

"He vanished." Naruto gasped.

Kakashi-sensei walked in front of us.

"Sensei?" I asked.

"He'll come after me first." informed Kakashi-sensei.

"But, who exactly is he?" I asked.

"Zabuza Momochi." answered Kakashi-sensei. "The ex-leader of the Hidden Mist Assassination Unit. He's a master of the 'silent killing' technique."

"Silent?" Naruto repeated.

"As the name suggests, it happens in an instant." elaborated Kakashi-sensei. "It happens so fast, you pass from this life without realizing it. The Sharingan cannot fully neutralize it." he added. "So don't lower your guard."

We all gasped, but didn't waver from our position.

"Well if we fail we only loose our lives." I muttered.

"How can you say that, Kris?" Sakura asked.

"Hey, I'm just being realistic." I defended.

"The mist is getting thicker and thicker." Naruto noted.

"The Land if Waves is surrounded by ocean." said Tazuna. "The swirling mists are ever present."

The mist grew so thick, I lost sight of my dad. "Sensei!" I called. My spine shivered, and it took every ounce of strength to hold my kunai steady.

"Eight points." Zabuza said. I couldn't place where it was coming from. "Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, sub-clavian artery, kidneys, heart." He just named the eight vital spots on the human body. If any one of those are hit in battle, the outcome is fatal. "Now which will be my kill point?"

"That caused us all to stiffen. I don't know about the rest of the team, but I tried my best not to show my fear, even though I was scared out of my mind. The mist was so thick, I could barely make out Naruto, who was standing right next to me, and I also couldn't find my dad anywhere.

* * *

Suddenly, I felt a rush of chakra, and the mist was suddenly cleared. Kakashi-sensei was a few inches in front of us, still alive, much to my relief.

I heard a rapid heartbeat, and I wondered who it was from. It wasn't Naruto's or Sakura's, and it also wasn't mine. That could only mean it was…

"Sasuke!" Kakashi-sensei called. I turned to my right and saw Sasuke, the look in his eyes told me he was freaking out. "Calm down! I'll protect you with my life. All of you." that made me loosen up a bit. "I will not allow my comrades to die, trust me." he turned to us and smiled.

"I wouldn't be so sure." said Zabuza.

* * *

In an instant, he appeared in between us and Tazuna. A second later, us four genin moved out of the way, and Kakashi-sensei moved in and attacked Zabuza.

From where I stood, I saw that it was only a clone that Kakashi-sensei had attacked. Instead of it bleeding blood, it bled water.

"_A water clone?"_ I asked.

Suddenly, the real Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi-sensei.

"Sensei! Behind you!" Naruto called out.

The water clone dispersed, and Kakashi-sensei turned around to face his opponent, only to have Zabuza slice him in half. To everyone's surprise, that was also a water clone.

"_How did he…?" _I thought, then I remembered. _"The large amount of chakra Zabuza was gathering, he must've been storing that up for the water clone jutsu. That whole time, dad must've been analyzing the jutsu with his Sharingan. And when the clone of Zabuza attacked us, he implicated the water clone jutsu to get the real Zabuza to come out in the open." _I smirked to myself. _"My dad is the coolest ever!" _

The real Kakashi-sensei held a kunai knife to Zabuza's throat. "Don't move." he ordered. "Now it's over."

I smirked, _"That's right, no one messes with my father." _


	8. The Oath of Pain

**The Oath of Pain.**

* * *

Suddenly, I felt a rush of chakra, and the mist was suddenly cleared. Kakashi-sensei was a few inches in front of us, still alive, much to my relief.

I heard a rapid heartbeat, and I wondered who it was from. It wasn't Naruto's or Sakura's, and it also wasn't mine. That could only mean it was…

"Sasuke!" Kakashi-sensei called. I turned to my right and saw Sasuke, the look in his eyes told me he was freaking out. "Calm down! I'll protect you with my life. All of you." that made me loosen up a bit. "I will not allow my comrades to die, trust me." he turned to us and smiled.

"I wouldn't be so sure." said Zabuza.

In an instant, he appeared in between us and Tazuna. A second later, us four genin moved out of the way, and Kakashi-sensei moved in and attacked Zabuza.

From where I stood, I saw that it was only a clone that Kakashi-sensei had attacked. Instead of it bleeding blood, it bled water.

"_A water clone?"_ I asked.

Suddenly, the real Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi-sensei.

"Sensei! Behind you!" Naruto called out.

The water clone dispersed, and Kakashi-sensei turned around to face his opponent, only to have Zabuza slice him in half. To everyone's surprise, that was also a water clone.

"_How did he…?" _I thought, then I remembered. _"The large amount of chakra Zabuza was gathering, he must've been storing that up for the water clone jutsu. That whole time, dad must've been analyzing the jutsu with his Sharingan. And when the clone of Zabuza attacked us, he implicated the water clone jutsu to get the real Zabuza to come out in the open." _I smirked to myself. _"My dad is the coolest ever!" _

The real Kakashi-sensei held a kunai knife to Zabuza's throat. "Don't move." he ordered. "Now it's over."

I smirked, _"That's right, no one messes with my father." _

* * *

"You're finished." said Kakashi-sensei.

"Alright!" Naruto cheered.

Sakura and I glanced at each other and smiled. We then chuckled happily.

Zabuza chuckled darkly. "Finished." he repeated. "You really don't get it, do you? Your technique is nothing but a crass imitation." he pointed out. "I'll never be defeated by a copy-cat ninja like you." Zabuza chuckled again. "You are full of surprises though. You'd already copied my Water Clone Jutsu when you made your little speech."

I gasped. _"So that was the water clone that made that speech?" _I asked myself.

"A very skillful move." said Zabuza. "You made your clone say those words to draw my attention. While you waited in the mist, waiting for me to make my move." there was short pause. "Nice try. But I'm not that easy to fool."

* * *

It turns out that who we thought was the real Zabuza, was actually another water clone. The 'real' Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi-sensei and aimed to take his head off.

It was at this moment that I'm glad my father has great reflexes. He dodged the blasé last second. But Zabuza, grabbed the blade with his other hand and kicked Kakashi-sensei into the water. Zabuza retreated into the water.

"_I can't believe my dad was kicked through the air like that." _I gasped. _"This Zabuza guy must be strong if he can do that."_

Kakashi-sensei surfaced from the water. Suddenly, Zabuza appeared right behind him. He did a series of hand signs and then, our sensei was trapped in some kind of sphere of water, like a prison.

"Da-" I began to scream, but Sasuke clamped his hand over my mouth before I could finish.

I turned to him and he placed one finger over his lips, signaling me to be quiet. I nodded.

Zabuza held the prison with one hand. "This prison is made of water, but it's stronger than steel." he informed. "It's so hard to fight when you can't move. So much for the great Kakashi, I'll finish you off later." Zabuza then turned to us, "But first, your little friends will have to be eliminated."

Zabuza created another water clone that stared at us genin. "You think wearing a headband makes you a ninja?" he asked, chuckling darkly. "When you've hovered between life and death so many times that it doesn't faze you, you may be called a ninja. When you've become so deadly that your profile has been entered into my bingo book, then you may have earned the title ninja." the water clone of Zabuza created a thick mist, just like before. "but to call upstarts like you four ninja, is a joke." the water clone vanished.

Two seconds later, he reappeared and kicked Naruto, sending him flying a foot or so back. The force of the kick was enough to knock off Naruto's headband.

Zabuza landed and stomped on it. "You four are just a group of brats." he spat.

Sasuke gasped.

"Naruto!" Sakura and I screamed in unison.

From where he was, I heard my dad growl in frustration. "Listen take the bridge builder and run!" Kakashi-sensei ordered. "You can't win this fight. He's using all of his power to keep me in this prison. So he can only fight you with his water clone. But the clone can't go far from his real body. So if you go now, he can't follow." he added. "Now run!"

I gasped. _"We can't run away, that option was tossed out the window the second you were caught dad." _I said to myself.

* * *

"Let's do this." Sasuke said, and charged right for the Zabuza water clone.

Sasuke threw some shuriken, only for them to be swatted away by Zabuza's sword. Sasuke jumped in the air and was going for an aerial kick. But the attack was blocked by Zabuza grabbing Sasuke's throat, choking him.

"Pitiful." Zabuza spat.

He tossed Sasuke in our direction.

"Sasuke!" Sakura screamed.

I gritted my teeth and ran ahead. I jumped in the air and caught Sasuke's body. The force knocked the wind outta me for a short second, but I regained control. I broke my landing by shifting my weight to my feet and skidded across the ground. Once the momentum stopped, I knelt down, still holding Sasuke upright to where his head rested on my shoulder.

"Thanks Kris." he said.

I smiled. "Hey you saved me from those two Chunin in the forest." I reminded him. "I owed ya one, so, you're welcome."

I tossed my ponytail behind me and looked at Zabuza. _"He was able block Sasuke just like that. This guy doesn't even seem like he's even human." _I looked around at my team and saw they were shaking. _"This is what a Jonin really is." _I said. _"A true, elite ninja. We have to come up with some kind of plan, otherwise, he's gonna annihilate us all."_

I helped Sasuke stand up. Suddenly I heard a cry, and turned to see Naruto charging right for Zabuza, again.

"Naruto no!" yelled Kakashi-sensei.

"Naruto! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Sakura screamed, frustrated.

* * *

In a swift movement, Naruto was sent flying back to us. He hit the ground with a thud.

"What the hell were you thinking charging in there by yourself?" I asked him, screaming. "Even Sasuke couldn't get to him! We're only Genin, we can't defeat a Jonin." I sadly pointed out. "What did you think you would accomplish by that?"

As Naruto tried to stand, I noticed he was gripping his headband in his bandaged hand.

"_The headband? That's what he wanted?" _I asked.

It took him a few seconds, but Naruto eventually stood up. "Hey you, the freak with no eyebrows." he said. "Put this in your bingo book. The ninja who will, one day, become Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves." Naruto tied his headband around his forehead. "He never backs down! His name's Naruto Uzumaki!"

I sighed, and couldn't help but smile. _"You sure talk a big game Naruto. Now let's see if you can back it up." _

"Sasuke. Kristin." he said. "Can you hear me."

"Yeah," Sasuke answered, turning to me. I nodded. "we hear ya."

"Good. Listen up, because I've got a plan." Naruto informed.

"_Now you have one?" _I mentally sighed. I smirked. "So you're finally thinking about teamwork huh?" I asked.

Naruto smiled, wiping the blood from his mouth. "Alright you guys, let's go wild."

Sasuke and I glanced at each other, and smiled and nodded.

I turned to Sakura, "Stay back with Tazuna." I told her. "Let me and the guys handle this."

"You got it, just be careful." Sakura said, nodding.

I smiled at her and stood in between Sasuke and Naruto.

* * *

The three of us stared at the water clone Zabuza, the real one, and our sensei trapped in the water prison.

"You two ready?" Naruto asked. "Let's take this guy down."

Zabuza chuckled. "Big words for such a little man." he said. "You think some little plan is going to keep you in the game?"

"What are you doing, I told you guys to run!" scolded our sensei. "This battle was over the moment I got caught, now take off! Your mission is not to prove how brave you are, it's to save the bridge builder, stay on mission!"

I turned back and looked at Tazuna. "Bridge builder?" I asked.

Tazuna lowered his head. "I guess, this all happened because of me." he said. "Because of my desire to live. Do whatever you have to do, I'm not gonna stand in your way." he said. "Go on! Do everything you can to save your sensei!"

I turned my head around and sighed in relief, _"Thanks Mr. Tazuna." _I glanced back, and the look in his eyes told me 'do everything you can to save your father'. I smiled and nodded. I then made eye contact with my dad, _"Don't worry, I'm gonna get you out! You can count on me." _

"Alright, you hear that?" Sasuke asked the two of us.

"Yeah, believe it. Get ready." Naruto answered.

I giggled. "Let's show him what we're capable of." I stood in between Sasuke and Naruto.

Zabuza chuckled. "You're still playing your little game, pretending to be ninja." he said. "When I was your age, this hand had already crushed many opponents." the water clone Zabuza looked at his right hand.

We all gasped.

"Zabuza, the Demon." said Kakashi-sensei.

"So I was in your book too?" said the real Zabuza, who was holding the water prison together.

* * *

I had a feeling I wasn't going to like how Zabuza got that nickname, the Demon. And I also had a feeling dad was going to tell us.

"A long time ago, in the Village Hidden in the Mist, also known as 'Blood Mist Village', before a student could become a ninja, they had to do one final test." Kakashi-sensei informed.

"You know about the graduation exam?" asked Zabuza.

"What graduation exam?" Naruto asked.

Zabuza chuckled.

"What's the big deal anyway?" Naruto asked again. "We had graduation tests too."

Zabuza chuckled again, "Did you have to kill the other students in order to pass?"

Naruto and I gasped.

"Imagine young ninja like you;" Zabuza went on. "eating together, training together. Then comes the final exam, only they change the rules: kill or be killed. You can't stop while your opponent still breathes, he was your friend, shared your dreams, now it's either him or you."

"That's so cruel." Sakura whimpered.

"It's downright horrible." I added.

"Ten years ago, in the Village Hidden in the Mist," said Kakashi-sensei. "the graduation exam changed. One year before, a dark evil had filled the school with terror."

"What's he saying?" Sakura asked.

"What evil? What change? What caused the terror?" I added on.

"A young boy who wasn't even a ninja approached the class, and took down over a hundred other students." Kakashi-sensei answered.

The water clone stood still. "It…felt so…good!" he growled.

Sasuke, Naruto, and I gasped.

* * *

In an instant, Zabuza appeared before us and kicked Sasuke away. His next move, he slammed his elbow onto Sasuke's sternum, causing him to cough blood.

"Sasuke!" Sakura yelled.

Zabuza placed his foot on Sasuke's stomach, and began to apply more pressure.

I gritted my teeth. He's gone too far.

"Sasuke!" I screamed and ran to him.

Zabuza turned to me and gripped my throat, yanking me upwards. I screamed as he pressed on the soft tissues of my neck.

"You insolent little brat." he said. "You really think you could take me on? You're nothing but a worthless Kunoichi."

I gasped for breath and wrapped my arms around Zabuza's wrist, trying to ease the pressure.

"You put her down!" Sakura yelled.

"Sure, I'll put her down." Zabuza smirked.

I was thrown up and then kicked in the stomach. I felt a sharp pain in my abdominal area, I coughed up blood and skidded towards the tree line.

I gasped and put my hand to my side, I couldn't feel any broken bones, but I did feel a sharp, needle-like pain on my lefty hip.

Zabuza put his foot back on Sasuke and continued applying pressure, and all I could do was watch. He chuckled, "You're nothing." he said.

"Stop right there!" Naruto yelled. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Soon a dozen or so Naruto clones appeared.

_"Now it's time to put the plan in motion." _I smirked.

* * *

All the Naruto clones ambushed Zabuza and piled on top of him. But, all Zabuza did was throw them off, sending them scattering in different directions.

"His skills are too advanced, he's too powerful." Tazuna said. "There's no way to defeat him."

One by one, each of the Naruto clones disappeared.

"I'm not giving up, I've still got this!" Naruto said, pulling out a Fūma Shuriken and tossed it to Sasuke.

Sasuke spun around and caught it, and prepared to use it.

"_Here we go." _I thought.

* * *

Sasuke unfolded the Shuriken and held it. "Demon Wind Shuriken: Windmill of Shadows!"

"A Shuriken?" Zabuza questioned. "You'll never touch me with that."

Sasuke jumped up and threw the Shuriken from the air. The plan was for the Shuriken to bypass the water clone, it's real target was the real Zabuza.

Zabuza caught the Shuriken with his free hand, although he didn't see the second Shuriken coming at him. The Shadow Shuriken Jutsu, a tricky technique, but an effective one.

Me, Naruto, and Sasuke watched as the Shuriken edged close to Zabuza. To avoid being bisected, Zabuza jumped to doge the Shuriken.

"I told you a Shuriken can't touch me!" he growled.

"_That's what you think!" _

It's time to unveil part of the plan. The second Shuriken, was me. I pulled a transformation jutsu while Naruto distracted Zabuza with his shadow clones. After I passed him, I transformed back into me.

"Oh yeah?" I asked. Zabuza turned his head and stared at me. I smirked and whipped out a kunai from my holster, "Eat this, you monster!" and I threw the kunai.


	9. Kakashi: Sharingan Warrior!

**Kakashi: Sharingan Warrior!**

* * *

Zabuza put his foot back on Sasuke and continued applying pressure, and all I could do was watch. He chuckled, "You're nothing." he said.

"Stop right there!" Naruto yelled. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Soon a dozen or so Naruto clones appeared. _"Now it's time to put the plan in motion." _I smirked.

All the Naruto clones ambushed Zabuza and piled on top of him. But, all Zabuza did was throw them off, sending them scattering in different directions.

"His skills are too advanced, he's too powerful." Tazuna said. "There's no way to defeat him."

One by one, each of the Naruto clones disappeared.

"I'm not giving up, I've still got this!" Naruto said, pulling out a Fūma Shuriken and tossed it to Sasuke.

Sasuke spun around and caught it, and prepared to use it.

"_Here we go." _I thought.

Sasuke unfolded the Shuriken and held it. "Demon Wind Shuriken: Windmill of Shadows!"

"A Shuriken?" Zabuza questioned. "You'll never touch me with that."

Sasuke jumped up and threw the Shuriken from the air. The plan was for the Shuriken to bypass the water clone, it's real target was the real Zabuza.

Zabuza caught the Shuriken with his free hand, although he didn't see the second Shuriken coming at him. The Shadow Shuriken Jutsu, a tricky technique, but an effective one.

Me, Naruto, and Sasuke watched as the Shuriken edged close to Zabuza. To avoid being bisected, Zabuza jumped to doge the Shuriken.

"I told you a Shuriken can't touch me!" he growled.

"_That's what you think!" _

It's time to unveil part of the plan. The second Shuriken, was me. I pulled a transformation jutsu while Naruto distracted Zabuza with his shadow clones. After I passed him, I transformed back into me.

"Oh yeah?" I asked. Zabuza turned his head and stared at me. I smirked and whipped out a kunai from my holster, "Eat this, you monster!" and I threw the kunai.

* * *

I had aimed high enough so the kunai would at least hit Zabuza's upper shoulder, or his face, either one was fine with me.

At the last second, he released the water prison and barely dodged the kunai. All it did was leave a scratch under his eye, which was glaring right at me.

I gasped, and noticed he was spinning the Shuriken in his hand, preparing to throw it at me.

"I'll destroy you!" he growled.

But just as he was about to throw the Shuriken, my dad stepped in and stopped it's rotation. Sure, he had scratched his hand, but now he was free to fight Zabuza, a fair fight.

I smiled. My hand hit the water and I pushed up, doing a back handspring and landing on the water's surface.

"_How did I just do that?" _I asked in wonder.

"Look!" Sakura pointed. "Kristin's standing on the water!"

I was just as shocked as she was, I didn't know how I was doing it. Sure, I've been training and practicing this, but I could never get the chakra flow right, but hey, I don't mind.

I glanced at my dad, and smiled. _"Alright dad, time for some payback for attacking your students." _I thought. _"Show him what you're really capable of."_

"Kristin." said my sensei. "That was an excellent plan." he complemented. "You've really grown haven't you?"

I smiled and giggled. "Well technically it was Naruto's plan, I just went along with it." I admitted. "See the three of us knew we couldn't beat him, even with Naruto's shadow clones, my water-style, and Sasuke's skills, so the shadow clones were just a distraction." I added. "I only charged at him to set the whole thing up. When Naruto's clones attacked Zabuza and were then scattered, I used that opportunity to set the plan in motion. I pulled a switch with one of the shadow clones. I turned into the Naruto clone, while the Naruto clone changed into me. I then used that opportunity to transform into the Shuriken. The Naruto clone took my place to make it seem like I hadn't moved at all."

I glanced over where the other 'me' was, and nodded. Naruto broke the transformation jutsu and changed back into a shadow clone, then the clone dispersed.

Naruto smiled, rubbing the back of his head and smiling. "Pretty sweet plan, eh Kakashi-sensei?" he giggled.

"Sasuke could instantly tell that I was the Shuriken, so he spun around to pull out his own." I added. "I hid in the shadow of the first one. Of course, I knew, even with my knowledge of water-style jutsu, I couldn't fight Zabuza myself. So I just aimed the idea for the only way for him to doge the second Shuriken, was to release the water prison."

"Nice plan right?" Naruto asked. "We were awesome!"

"Don't brag." Sasuke sighed. "You just lucked out."

"The whole thing was just a fluke!" Tazuna yelled.

I smirked. _"You can call it whatever you want, but our teamwork was flawless." _I thought. _"We knew just what to without even talking with each other. We were a perfect team." _Come to think of it, I wonder how that would've gone if Choji and Shikamaru were here. I sighed. _"Maybe it was better that Iruka-sensei paired us together." _I admitted. _"Only Naruto can pull of the Shadow Clone Jutsu with that many clones to give us a diversion to pull of that plan. This team just might work after all." _I smiled.

* * *

"I got distracted, and lost my grip on the water prison." Zabuza said.

"Don't flatter yourself." rebuked Kakashi-sensei. "You weren't distracted, you were forced to let go."

Zabuza scoffed. From where I stood, I had the perfect view of the battle, I giggled, knowing my dad would finish this one way or another. Also, this way, I could maybe pick up a new water jutsu.

"Your technique worked on me once, but it won't work on me again." said Kakashi-sensei. "So, what's it gonna be?"

Zabuza scoffed. Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura formed a protective shield in front of Tazuna. I stood on the water and watched, carefully.

Zabuza snickered and collapsed the Shuriken, forcing the pressure on Kakashi-sensei's hand. Thank goodness he used the metal plate on his glove to block the Shuriken. Kakashi-sensei pushed his hand against the Shuriken and sent it flying off somewhere. Then the two Jonin braced themselves and jumped back, putting a larger gap in between them.

"_Something tells me that I had better do the same." _so I focused my chakra and jumped back as well. I did a few back handsprings on the water's surface before I landed. Where I did land, I had the perfect view of the battle still, but I also could see what my father was doing.

* * *

When Zabuza landed he made the hand sign of the Ox. Kakashi-sensei saw this and activated his Sharingan.

"Sensei's Sharingan!" I pointed out.

Soon, both Zabuza and Kakashi-sensei were performing hand signs at the exact same time, and they were both doing the same hand signs in the same sequence. The movement was fast but I could make out what signs they were weaving. _"Ox-Monkey-Hare-Rat-Boar-Bird-Ox-Horse-Bird-Rat-Tiger-Dog-Tiger-Snake-Ox-Ram-Snake-Boar-Ram-Rat-Yang Water-Monkey-Bird-Dragon-Bird-Ox-Horse-Ram-Tiger-Snake-Rat-Monkey-Hare-Boar-Dragon-Ram-Rat-Ox-Monkey-Bird-Yang Water-Rat-Boar-Bird." _I gasped, that many hand signs could only mean that the jutsu was a pretty powerful one.

"Water Dragon Jutsu!" Kakashi-sensei and Zabuza yelled at the exact same time. Two large dragons made entirely of water sprang up and encircled the other one. Then they attacked each other, forming a cage-like structure of water of Kakashi-sensei and Zabuza. It also created at massive tidal wave.

* * *

"Oh shit!" I screamed as I tried to our maneuver the wave; failed. I was struck, mid jump, by the wave and I crashed down onto the water's surface, soaking myself completely. Now I was a few feet away from behind the battle. The two Jonin were in the center of the cage, weapons locked. Zabuza had his sword, and my dad had a kunai knife.

I gasped. _"He mirrored each and every sign perfectly, flawlessly." _I thought in amazement. _"Forty-four hand signs, and he caught every single one. My dad is the coolest." _I smiled. _"He was able to copy the jutsu, gather up his chakra with the hand signs, and execute the jutsu flawlessly, and all while standing on the water's surface." _I added. _"To be able to do that takes great precision and chakra control; something my dad can do in his sleep. I knew he could do this! My dad is the coolest Jonin ever!"_

* * *

Both Jonin put their weapons away and looked at each other. The next, they circled each other. Kakashi-sensei was playing with Zabuza's mind, mimicking his every move. The next pose they struck, was to execute the water clone technique.

It's almost as if dad knew what Zabuza was going to do almost before Zabuza knew.

"It makes you furious, doesn't it?" Kakashi-sensei mocked.

Zabuza scoffed. "All you're doing is copying me, like a monkey!" he pointed out.

"You can't beat me with cheap tricks." they said in unison. "I'll crush you!"

Zabuza growled. "When I'm finished with you, you'll never open that monkey mouth again!"

They both executed hand signs simultaneously. Tiger-Ox-Monkey-Rabbit-Ram-Boar-Ox-Horse-Monkey-Tiger-Dog-Tiger-Snake-Tiger, before Zabuza froze. Apparently, my dad had finally caught him off guard, freaking him out with his Sharingan and its abilities.

* * *

Kakashi-sensei finished the sequence, Ox-Monkey-Rabbit-Bird. "Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!"

A ring of water appeared in front of Kakashi-sensei and engulfed Zabuza in a whirlpool. The jutsu caused the entire water to rage, which I was right in the middle of. _"Great, perfect." _I bereted myself.

I ran across the surface, or at least tried to, to get to the rest of my team. But the waves were too much and they pushed me under the water, and tossed me back up. I dove under a few to dodge them, but then another came right over me as soon as I gasped for air.

"Kristin!" Sasuke called my name.

I looked and saw him near the shore, motioning for me to come to him. I nodded and swam. I didn't need to do much swimming, because the waves basically carried me to the shore, and tried to drown me on the way there.

One wave crashed over me and I was pushed under. I held my breath and tried to swim to the surface. I saw a hand above me and I grabbed it.

* * *

Sasuke pulled me up and held onto me as he dragged me out of the water. On land, the waves still crashed, but it was more of a windstorm.

"You okay?" Sasuke asked me.

I coughed and caught my breath. "Yeah, I think so." I felt over my body. "Two legs, two arms, one head, nose, ears, ten fingers, ten toes, I think I'm good." I chuckled, and coughed again.

Sasuke rubbed my back and held my ponytail while I coughed up excess water I had swallowed.

"Next time Kakashi-sensei is fighting on the water, don't let me jump in." I reminded Sasuke.

"Deal." he agreed.

I gasped for breath and then my breathing returned to normal.

* * *

Once the water died down, I looked around and saw Kakashi-sensei on a tree branch, holding a kunai knife.

"This is your last battle, ever." he told Zabuza.

But before he could attack, out of nowhere, four senbon embedded themselves in Zabuza's neck. He coughed, and then collapsed.

All of us gasped in shock.

"You were right." said a new voice.

I turned to the side and saw a young boy, about our age, standing on a tree branch. He wore a white mask with two red markings towards the bottom, hiding his face. "It was his last battle."

"_Who is that boy?" _I asked myself.

Kakashi-sensei jumped from the branch he was on and placed two fingers on Zabuza's neck, checking for his pulse. "No vital signs." he sighed.

The new boy bowed. "Thank you." he said. "I've been tracking Zabuza for a long time, waiting for this chance to take him down."

"By your mask, I take it you're a tracker ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist." deducted Kakashi-sensei.

"Impressive." complemented the ninja. "I can see you're well informed."

Naruto gasped. "A Tracker."

"Naruto you don't even know what that is." Sakura pointed out. "You missed the lesson on it as usual." she added. "Tracker ninja have a very important role, try coming to class sometime."

"When a rogue ninja breaks away from his village, he takes all kinds of secrets with him, the secrets of his people." I added. "Trackers are especially trained to hunt down these ninja and eliminate them. That way the secrets of his people, stay secret."

"That's correct." said the tracker ninja. "I'm a member of the elite tracker unit of the Village Hidden in the Mist. It was my duty to stop Zabuza." he informed us.

Naruto ran ahead and confronted the tracker ninja. He groaned and growled, and groaned again, glancing between Zabuza and the tracker. "What is this? Who do you think you are?" he asked. "Did you hear me?" he asked again.

I sighed and ran up to him, placing my hand on his shoulder, "Easy Naruto." I said, calmly. "He's not our enemy."

"That's not the point!" Naruto yelled, shrugging off my hand. "Did you see what he did? Just like that?" he asked. "Zabuza was huge, and powerful like some kind of monster. And this kid, no bigger than me, brought down Zabuza with one move, like it was nothing." he added. "So what does that make us? We're just fumbling around, like we don't know anything. How can I accept that?!" he ranted.

Kakashi-sensei walked up to us. "Well even if you don't accept it, still, it did happen Naruto." he said.

"Yeah Naruto." I agreed. "That kid has had a lot more, tougher training than we ever did, he's been trained to track and kill." I informed. "You have to understand that every hidden village is different in terms of training styles. Also we're just rookies, not everything is going to come easy to us."

"But it just doesn't seem fair." Naruto whined.

Kakashi-sensei placed his hand on Naruto's head, "In this world there are ninja younger than you, and yet, stronger than me." he informed.

I nodded and glanced at the tracker ninja. "Kakashi-sensei's right." I admitted. "And if you can't accept that Naruto," I looked at him. "Then you should just turn around, go home, and hang up that headband you're wearing."

Naruto glared at me and growled.

* * *

The tracker disappeared from the branch and reappeared by Zabuza's body. He carefully lifted it onto his back. "Your struggle is over for now, I must deal with the remains." he said. "There are many secrets in this body, I mustn't let it fall into the wrong hands." he added. "Please excuse me. Farewell." and with that, he vanished with Zabuza's body.

"He disappeared!" Naruto gasped.

Kakashi-sensei sighed and pulled his headband back over his Sharingan eye. Naruto ran to the tree and looked around, groaning in anger and frustration.

"He's gone Naruto." said Kakashi-sensei. "Let it go."

Naruto knelt on his knees and began punching the ground. "What are we doing here?" he grunted. "We're nothing! I can't believe it!" he grunted as he kept punching the ground.

We all looked at him, solemnly.

Kakashi-sensei walked over to him and grabbed his arm, halting the actions.

"As ninja, the things we encounter are never easy." he said. "Save your anger, for the next enemy."

Kakashi-sensei released Naruto's arm. Naruto calmed down and stared at the ground below.

"We still haven't completed our mission yet." announced Kakashi-sensei. "We still need to get the bridge builder to his bridge."

"Sorry I've caused so much trouble for ya!" Tazuna laughed. "But you can rest at my house when we get to the village."

"Alright, let's move out." said Kakashi-sensei.

He took two steps, then froze suddenly.

"Sensei?" I questioned.

His legs quivered and he suddenly collapsed.

I gasped. "Daddy!" I screamed and ran to his side, dropping to my knees.

The others ran up behind me.

"What happened?" Sakura asked.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto said.

I checked for his pulse and sighed in relief. "I think he just overused his chakra during that last fight." I said.

I lifted one of his arms around my neck and stood up. His body was just too heavy for me to lift it alone. "Sasuke, can you help me out here, please?" I asked.

Sasuke nodded and wrapped dad's other arm around his neck, equally distributing the weight between us.

"Tazuna, how far is it to your house?" I asked.

"It's not far now." he answered.

I nodded. "Good, can you lead us there? So my dad and the rest of us can rest?"

"Yes, let's get going." Tazuna said.

* * *

With the help of my best friend, I carried my dad's body the rest of the way to Tazuna's house. Sakura and Naruto kept on either side of him, scouting for more enemies.

"_Something tells me, that isn't the last we've seen of Gatō's men. More are sure to come." _I thought to myself.


	10. The Forest of Chakra

**The Forest of Chakra.**

* * *

Tazuna's house was an average size, and far into the village, but we managed to arrive there by dusk. We were greeted by his daughter, Tsunami. She was a young woman with dark brown eyes and blue-black hair.

"So glad that you're home father." she greeted. "And you must be the Hidden Leaf Ninja."

I nodded. "Yes. My name is Kristin Hatake." I introduced. "And this is my team, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Uzumaki." I pointed to the others as I introduced them. "And this is our sensei, Kakashi Hatake." I looked at my father, who was still unconscious.

"Is he alright?" Tsunami asked.

"Yeah, he just over did it during a fight." I answered. "After a good night's sleep, he'll be good as new."

Tsunami led us down the hall to an empty room where I laid my father down on his sleeping bag and pillow.

I wiped my forehead and sighed in relief. "Thanks for helping me Sasuke."

"It's not a problem." Sasuke said. "After all, he is my sensei also."

I nodded, smiling. "Right."

"And he's also the father of my best friend." he added, returning the smile.

"You guys can have the next room over." Tsunami told us.

Sasuke nodded and walked out, probably getting ready to turn in for the night.

"Are you alright Kristin?" Tsunami asked.

I looked at her. "Yes I'm fine." I answered. I then looked down at my unconscious father. "It's just…he's more than just my sensei." I admitted. "He's also my father."

"I see." Tsunami said. "If you want to stay with him tonight, that's okay with me."

I gasped, "Really?" I asked.

She smiled. "Yes, I know what it's like to worry about a father." she chuckled.

"Thank you." I said, bowing my head. "And good night."

"Good night to you too." Tsunami smiled and closed the door.

I changed out of my clothes and into my night clothes. I wore black sweat pants and a green tank top. I took out by ribbon and ponytail, letting my hair fall down to it's full length, which was a bit past my kneecaps. I then sat down and began to braid my hair, tying it off with my ribbon.

I set up my sleeping bag next to my dad and laid down on my side so I can face him.

"You were amazing daddy." I told him. "I never doubted that you would win. Maybe when you wake up, you can teach me those water techniques. Just in case any more hired ninja come after us."

I smiled and soon sleep overwhelmed me.

* * *

I half-expected to have the same dream about the Fourth Hokage again, but nope. This time my dream was way different. No one in my dream I recognized.

_There was fog everywhere and the scenery wasn't all that clear. A faint glow of red chakra was seen not far from my visual point. The smell of blood filled the air and soon, my entire body felt like it was on fire. My perception changed, and my senses became sharper it seemed. _

_The emotion I felt was anger, and then I was blinded by it. I charged towards the red chakra and my mind was set on one thing; to kill anything that stood in my way._

_I heard a howl in the distance, it seemed closer. I passed by a puddle of water, and all I saw in the reflection was a dark shadow run by. From the quick instant, it was hard to make out the figure. The only thing I could tell was that the shadow was not human, as it ran on four legs, not two. _

* * *

I woke up sweating and gasping.

"Now that was a weird dream." I sighed, sitting up and stretching my arms and legs. I looked over and my dad was still asleep.

Yawning, I slid out of my sleeping bag and stood up. "Time to see who else is up." I sighed, walking down the hallway.

* * *

When I walked into the dining area, I was greeted by Sakura. "Good morning Kristin." she said.

"Morning Sakura." I replied, taking a seat next to her. "Sleep okay?"

"Yeah, I slept alright, although Naruto's snoring did wake me a few times." Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes.

"So that's what I heard?" I asked. "I thought someone was working on a construction project."

Sakura and I both laughed and were soon joined by our teammates; Sasuke and Naruto.

"Good morning ladies." Naruto greeted, smiling a very dorky smile.

"Morning Naruto." Sakura and I both groaned in unison.

Sasuke sat down in silence.

"Good morning Sasuke, did you sleep okay?" Sakura asked, in a very girly-like sing song voice.

Sasuke didn't answer with words, but just nodded. After a while we decided to go back and check on Kakashi-sensei.

* * *

When we walked in, sensei was awake. I walked over and knelt down next to him.

"Hey he's coming around." said Naruto.

"Listen sensei, your Sharingan is amazing and everything." Sakura said, kneeling down next to me. "But if it puts that much strain on you, maybe you shouldn't use it."

"Sorry." replied Kakashi-sensei.

"Well you did take out one of the most dangerous ninja assassins." Tazuna pointed out. "So we'll be safe for a while."

I sighed, "Yeah, but that boy with the mask, what about him?" I asked aloud.

"He's from the elite tracking unit of the Village Hidden in the Mist." answered Kakashi-sensei. "Those masks are only worn by the most elite shinobi."

Sakura and I cast a glance at each other, then to our teammates.

"What exactly do they do?" Sakura asked.

"The ANBU Black Ops, also known as the Inferno Squad, destroy all traces of a rogue ninja's corpse." answered Sensei. "His body holds many secrets, Ninjutsu, chakra, special medicines used on his body. These are the secrets of his village, if any enemy shinobi were to discover those secrets, his village would be in grave danger."

I gulped, as did Sakura.

Despite that, Kakashi-sensei still went on, giving us an example. "If I were to die at the hands of an enemy, they could analyze my Sharingan. In the worst case, my entire jutsu could be stolen and used to attack our home village."

All four of us listened carefully at our sensei's words. "It's the sacred duty of those tracker ninja to prevent that, to keep the village secrets safe. If a ninja leaves his village, the tracker ninja hunt him down, eliminate him, and destroy all traces of his body. It's their specialty."

I exchanged glances with my teammates and sighed. Kakashi-sensei slowly sat upright and put his hand over his face. To me, he looked like he was pondering something, maybe he was thinking just what I was.

How things all ended, something just doesn't add up. Ever since we left the battleground, I've felt really uneasy, like we were tricked and maybe, Zabuza might still be alive. I gulped to myself.

"Hey, you okay?" Naruto asked. "Sensei?"

That snapped both me and dad out of our pondering. "Yeah." dad answered, "Now to finish what I was saying, tracker ninja deal with the body immediately, on the spot, so that there is no room for error."

"Is that really important?" I asked, moving my legs out to the side, adjusting to a more comfortable position.

"Think about it Kristin." said Sensei. "Do you remember what that tracker ninja did with Zabuza's body?"

I remembered back to the fight. After that ninja came out of nowhere, he just slung Zabuza's body over his shoulder and vanished. I glanced at my three other teammates, who just shrugged their shoulders. "We don't really know what he did exactly." I admitted. "I mean, if I had to guess, I think he took it away somewhere."

"Exactly." replied Kakashi-sensei. "He should've worked on Zabuza's body right then and there."

"Okay, but if tracker ninja are supposed to keep their village secrets safe, it would seem logical he wouldn't want to use his techniques right in front of us." I pointed out. "I mean we are shinobi from another village, so maybe all he was doing was taking Zabuza's body somewhere isolated to keep his village techniques a secret."

"But think of the weapons he used for the takedown." Kakashi-sensei said. "Do any of you remember what they were?"

After a few seconds of silence, Sasuke answered, "Throwing needles." he then gasped.

"Exactly." said Sensei. "None of it adds up."

Sakura and I exchanged glances, while Naruto just scratched his head.

"What are you all yammering on about?" asked Tazuna. "You demolished that assassin."

Kakashi-sensei sighed and sat up straight. "Here's the truth, Zabuza's still alive." he said.

Tazuna, Sakura, Naruto and Tsunami gasped. Sasuke and I just exchanged a glance and a nod.

"But we saw his body!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Kakashi-sensei you checked him yourself." Sakura added. "You said that his heart stopped."

"His heart did stop, but only temporarily." said our sensei. "It was just to simulate death, probably just to throw us off, making us think Zabuza was really dead."

"But how could that have happened?" I asked. "I mean, how can you stop your heart temporarily?"

"The weapons that tracker used are called Senbon." Kakashi-sensei informed. "They pierce deeply, but rarely kill unless they hit a vital organ, not in the neck. They are modified from needles used in medical treatments. All trackers are trained to know every detail of the human body." he added. "Causing the heart to stop while keeping the body alive is an easy task for them. First, he carried Zabuza's body away, even though it's much heavier than he is. Second, he used Senbon, which have a precise effect, but aren't fatal. From those two factors we can conclude that the tracker wasn't trying to eliminate Zabuza, but trying to save him."

"Aren't you over thinking this just a little bit?" asked Tazuna.

I was thinking the same thing, but after remembering the battle, I was beginning to see that my father was right. So that means we aren't out of the woods yet then.

"'Encountering suspicion the ninja prepares quickly, hesitation leads to disaster'" said Kakashi-sensei. "Every shinobi knows this saying."

After hearing that quote, I knew that we were in for another training lesson to prepare us.

"Sensei, you said 'prepare quickly'." Sakura pointed out. "But how can we do that when you can barely move?"

Dad then began laughing. He then looked at all of us young genin, "I can still train you." he said.

"Hold on!" I interjected. "A little last minute training won't make us strong enough to defeat Zabuza!" I clenched my fist tightly.

"Even with your Sharingan you weren't able to beat him!" Sakura added. "We have to be reasonable about this!"

I nodded my head in agreement. "I'm with her on this one, dad. If we go up against him again, we might all be killed."

"How was I able to defeat Zabuza?" asked our sensei. "It's because you all helped me. You all have grown." He looked at all of us, "Naruto, you're the one that's grown the most."

Naruto chuckled in excitement. I cast a glance at the other members of my team, and I admit, we have grown a bit. Even me, the girl who strived to be the best. During our last fight with Zabuza, I somehow did a technique that I was never able to do before.

My time I spent training by the river, I was practicing a technique that all Water-style shinobi should learn; how to stand on the water's surface. But no matter how hard I tried, I could never get the chakra flow right. But, now I can tell that those hours spent training finally paid off.

"So you've noticed Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said, chuckling. "Now things are gonna get better, believe it."

"I don't believe it!" came a new voice. "And nothing's gonna be good!"

* * *

We all turned around and saw a small boy wearing black sandals, green overalls over a beige-white shirt and a fisherman's hat staring at us.

"Who are you?!" Naruto yelled.

Tazuna held his arms open, "Inari." he called.

The little boy, Inari, ran to Tazuna's open arms, "Welcome back grandpa!"

"Grandpa?" I asked.

Tsunami walked up and bereted Inari for the comment he just made. Tazuna chuckled and patted Inari's head. "It's okay, I'm rude to them too."

"_That's an understatement." _I sighed internally.

Inari glared at us, then turned to Tsunami. "Mom don't you see, these people are all gonna die." he said. "Gatō and his men are gonna come and find them and wipe them out."

Naruto jumped up, "What did you say brat?" he yelled. "Listen, you know what a super-ninja is? Well that's me, only a lot better, I'm gonna be Hokage."

I rolled my eyes, _"Here we go again with the whole 'Hokage' thing." _

"This Blato or Gatō or whatever he's called is no match for a real hero like me!"

Inari scoffed. "There's no such thing as a hero." he glared at Naruto. "You're just full of stupid ideas!"

Naruto moved forward, "What did you say?"

I held him back, "Naruto just calm down!"

Inari turned towards us, "If you want to stay alive, you should go back to where you came from."

I released my grip on Naruto and sighed. Inari walked to the door.

"Inari wait, where are you going?" Tazuna asked.

"To my room." replied the little boy, "I wanna be alone!" and with that he stormed off and slammed the door behind him.

"Sorry about that." Tazuna apologized.

Naruto groaned in frustration, then followed Inari. The rest of us just let him go.

"He's wrong." I sighed.

Tsunami looked at me, "What was that?"

"We may be kids, but we're stronger than we look." I answered. "We'll prove Inari wrong and prove that heroes do exist."

Sakura and Sasuke nodded in agreement with me.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Kakashi-sensei took the four of us to the forest for training.

"Alright you four, training starts now." he said. "First we'll go over the review of chakra, a ninja's most basic tool."

"We knew that." Sasuke sighed.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, a while ago, we learned about, uh, Catra."

"Chakra." corrected Sakura.

"Go on and tell them Kristin." said Kakashi-sensei.

I put my hands on my hips and sighed. "All right Naruto, I'll explain this real simple so you can understand it." I took in a deep breath and exhaled.

"Chakra is the elemental life energy a ninja uses in jutsu, it's the source of all his or her power." I began explaining.

"Now this energy has two forms. The first is physical energy that exists in all the cells in the entire body working together. The second is spiritual energy , the primal source that is intensified through training and experience. Now these two energies must be brought together in balance in order to perform jutsu. Finally hand signs are used to focus the chakra and unleash it in a powerful attack, which is known as Ninjutsu."

"Right on all points." complemented Kakashi-sensei. "Iruka really had some excellent students."

Sakura and I smiled and flashed the peace sign to the boys.

"What's the point with the complicated explanations?" Naruto asked, "Isn't the whole point just to learn the jutsu?"

Sakura and I sighed.

"Naruto's right for once." Sasuke pointed out. "We're already using chakra energy in our jutsu."

"No." said our sensei. "You haven't mastered this power, you've all barely scratched the surface of it."

"What do you mean by that?" Naruto asked, annoyed.

"It's just as Kristin said earlier, you have to draw on both physical and spiritual energies, but how do you do that?" said Sensei.

"Each jutsu requires different amounts of energy in different portions." informed Sakura.

"It all depends on what jutsu you are trying to do." I added. "You must select and combine the energy portions in just the right way."

"As of now, you've only guess at the proportions of chakra and hoped the jutsu turned out right. Unless you can balance the proportions correctly, the jutsu won't work at all." Kakashi-sensei went on. "You waste so much energy that way, then you don't have enough chakra to fight at all. That just leaves you as a target."

As harsh as that was, dad did have a point. Even I'll admit I don't balance my jutsu right, I only know at least two or three techniques, and even during training I was still guessing at the chakra portions. Even though I have grown since I began training, I know I still have a lot to learn about being a true Kunoichi.

"So how do we change that?" Naruto asked, chuckling softly.

"Train hard enough to where controlling your chakra becomes second nature to you." answered Kakashi-sensei. He slowly nodded his head, "To achieve this goal, you'll have to be ready to put your life on the line."

We each stared at him for a good few seconds.

"What do we have to do?" Sakura asked, timidly.

Kakashi-sensei smiled and chuckled, "Climb a tree." he answered.

"Climb a tree!?" the four of us genin said in unison.

"That's right." said our sensei. "But there is just one rule: No Hands."

It was there that I'm pretty sure he lost the four of us.

"You're kidding, right daddy?" I asked.

"Am I?" he replied. Dad made just one hand sign to focus his chakra. Then he slowly made his way to the nearest tree and place one foot on the trunk.

Then, to the amazement of all four of us genin, dad began climbing the tree, with only his feet. We all marveled at the sight as he made his way to the next branch and hung upside down, his feet planted firmly on the bottom of the branch.

"Well you all get the idea." said our sensei. "Focus the chakra to the soles of your feet, and use it to connect to the tree." he informed. "This is one way of learning to control your chakra."

"Hold it, how is this going to help us fight Zabuza?" Sakura asked.

"It's the only way to fight him." answered our sensei. "That's the entire goal of this training."

"I'm afraid you still lost us dad." I said, speaking for the rest of the squad.

"Well then, let me clarify this." dad replied.

"First, you will learn to draw and focus chakra to a single point on your entire body, this is even difficult for advanced ninja, such as Zabuza and myself." he informed. "This type of climbing requires a subtle mix of both spiritual and physical energy, and the bottoms of your feet are the most difficult points to focus chakra. If you all master this, you'll be able to master any kind of jutsu. Well, theoretically anyway."

"So what's the next point of this training?" I asked.

"The second is learning to maintain your chakra to that point." answered Kakashi-sensei. "When a ninja is focused in battle, it's even harder to focus and maintain chakra levels. A deadly mistake." he added. "Well I could talk about this all day, but that won't advance your skills will it? The only way to grasp it, is through this training."

Kakashi-sensei tossed down four kunai knives at our feet. "Use those kunai to mark the highest point you can climb, then try to surpass that mark the next time." he instructed. "Start by running at the tree to gain enough momentum to take you as high as you can possibly go. That is, until you get used to it. Ready, begin."

We each picked up the kunai knife and looked up at our teacher.

"I'm ready, this is gonna be no sweat all the way." Naruto boasted. "Remember sensei, you said I'm the one whose grown the most."

"_You're definably the one who talks the most." _I thought.

"Now get focused and do it!" ordered Kakashi-sensei.

All four of us focused our chakra. We stood there silently, gathering up our energy. The next instant we charged for the trees ahead and made our way up the trunks.

* * *

When I felt my chakra decreasing, I marked the spot and sat on the nearest branch. I looked down and noticed that I was a far way up from the ground. I saw Naruto rolling around clutching at his head, and Sasuke was looking at him.

"Hey this is fun." came Sakura's voice.

She was sitting on a tree branch not far below me. She was kicking her legs and smiling.

"How's the view from down there Sakura!" I called from my spot.

That drew all of their attention to me. I smiled and waved.

"Well looks like the female members of the squad are the most advanced in terms of charka control." noted Kakashi-sensei.

Sakura giggled and smiled. I just winked at the boys.

Naruto and Sasuke just looked away from us, probably ashamed a bit that they were being shown up by girls.

"Well it appears that not only both Kristin and Sakura understand chakra control, they can focus and maintain it as well." complemented Kakashi-sensei. "We spoke of someone becoming Hokage someday, didn't we?" he reminded. "Seems like the girls are on their way to achieving that status."

Sakura and I smiled at each other and gave a thumbs up.

"And as for the great Uchiha clan," sensei went on, "maybe their not so great after all."

I sighed, _"Nice one dad, that's a real teamwork booster." _I glanced at him and shook my head.

"Shut up sensei, you talk too much." Sakura yelled, pointing her finger at Kakashi-sensei.

Sasuke and Naruto shot glares at each other. Now that my dad had opened his big mouth, things were really going to heat up.

Dad landed back on the ground and stood by watching. Sakura and I jumped from our branches and landed by our team.

* * *

"Daddy?" I asked, walking up to him.

"Yes Kristin?" he looked at me.

"I know that this training is important and all, but I think I'm ready for something else." I admitted. "If you give me a few more minutes, I'll make it to the top no problem."

"So what else do you want to learn?" dad asked.

I sighed. "I want to learn how to walk along the water's surface, and eventually fight while doing so."

Dad gasped. "That's an advanced technique, especially for a genin." he noted. "It has a higher difficulty level than Tree Climbing."

"I know." I admitted. "But I want to learn, after all, I am a water-style shinobi." I pointed out.

I could see it in his eyes, so I added, "I can handle the training. I'll work hard at it please dad." I begged. "Please."

"Okay." Dad replied.

"Yes!" I giggled.

"But first, I want you to make it to the top of the tree." He pointed upwards to my first mark on the trunk. "Then, I'll teach you the basics of walking on the water surface."

I smiled and nodded, agreeing to his conditions. I picked up my kunai and focused my chakra once again.

This time I concentrated on the amounts I was gathering, trying to picture the balance in my mind. I was going to get this, because I will never give up on my goal.

* * *

We spent a good half hour or so training, and I was completely off by how much longer it would take me to climb to the top of the tree.

"_Just my luck, I had to choose the tallest tree in this stupid place." _I said to myself.

Taking in another breath, I focused and ran to the tree again. Despite being nearly drained of energy, I ran over my past marks and made it to the next branch towards the top. I stuck my kunai in the tree trunk and collapsed onto the branch, gasping.

I looked down and saw Sakura laying against the base of her tree, while Sasuke and Naruto were still going at theirs.

"How can they keep going?" I asked aloud. _"Even with all my training, I'm completely wiped out. I don't think I'll ever understand what gives them so much energy." _I leaned against the tree and sighed. I had dirt on my face and hands, and a few scrapes on my knees from bracing my landing.

* * *

I sighed and looked up at the clear, blue sky. Birds flew across and I smiled, carefully closing my eyes for a brief moment. Before I could completely drift off to sleep, I snapped out of my daze.

"_When you run low on energy during an actual fight, there's no time to rest for a minute." _I reminded myself. _"You have to press on in order to survive." _I stood up and looked at the reaming part of the tree I have yet to climb. _"And if I have any chance of achieving the goals I have set for myself, then I have to press on and finish this exercise, even if it means I pass out from exhaustion at the end." _I took a deep breath and exhaled.

I grabbed my kunai knife and focused my chakra again. This time, I added a bit more power for a speed boost.

I clung to the trunk and ran upwards, making it to the very last branch at the very top of the tree.

"Yes!" I cheered. "I did it! I did it!" I looked around me and saw the entire forest surrounding me.

A calm breeze blew leaves all around me. I looked up at the sky and smiled, _"I'm doing it mom. I pushing myself and soon, I'll be a great ninja, just like dad. And grandfather too." _

"Time to conquer the next lesson." I said to myself. "Time to become a real water-style shinobi."


	11. The Land Where A Hero Once Lived

**The Land Where A Hero Once Lived,**

* * *

I woke up early and grabbed an energy bar from my satchel. I was the first of my team to wake up, so I decided to enjoy the quiet and meditate by the ocean until my dad woke up.

I sat at the edge of the dock and crossed my legs and inhaled deeply, then exhaled. After a few breaths, a sharp pain came from my left hip, which is where Zabuza had hit me during our last battle.

"What is this pain?" I asked myself, placing my hand over my hip.

I heard a dark chuckle, but couldn't place where it was coming from.

"Down here sweetie." said the voice.

I looked down at my reflection, and saw **her**. Helena, the spirit deep within my subconscious mind.

"What do you want?" I asked her, bluntly.

"Just thought I should let you know that, if you want to stand a chance at surviving your next encounter with the Demon of the Mist, you're gonna need my help." she said. "If you don't, you and the rest of your squad will be killed."

I scoffed. "I wouldn't be so sure." I rebuked. "We've been training our assess off, so we can get stronger and defeat Zabuza once and for all."

Helena chuckled. "Yeah, sweetie I've been around a while. I know things you wouldn't even think of." she said, coldly. "And the little bit of training you all are doing, isn't going to be enough."

"Wanna bet?" I challenged.

"I'm no fool." Helena said. "I just know these things."

"Forget it." I snapped. "I will not use your power, I will fight my own battles myself."

Helena rolled her deep blue eyes and smirked. "Fine, but if you want to live, you'll see that I'm your only choice."

I took a pebble and tossed it in the water, dissipating the reflection. "Not likely."

* * *

"Kristin?" came my dad's voice.

I turned and smiled at him. "Morning daddy." he was still using crutches to get around with, but he did look better than yesterday.

"You okay?" dad asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready to learn walking on water now." I told him, smiling.

Dad sighed. "Alright, I suppose it's time, since you finished the tree climbing exercise already."

"Yes!" I giggled.

"Okay, now this training is tougher than the previous exercise because now you're dealing with a surface that is constantly in motion, not stationary." Dad began. "Not only do you have to maintain your chakra flow, but you have to control how much you use. With each step, you have to disperse a different amount."

I nodded. I sighed and took my tank-top off, revealing the bandages around my chest and stomach. The only part of my upper body that was revealed was my upper back. The bandages around me connected at the base of my lower back.

"Now, this is a useful technique to learn when fighting, but it's extremely difficult to keep the chakra maintained at your feet when you're fighting an enemy shinobi."

"Got it." I said. I placed my hands together and focused my chakra, sending it to the bottom of my feet.

Once that was done, I carefully stepped on the water's surface. It gently moved under me, but I carefully maintained the chakra flow as I steadied myself.

"I think I got it." I said, trying to keep my balance.

"Now try to take a few steps across the surface of the water." Dad called out to me.

I nodded and carefully walked across the water. It was way harder than it looked. I refocused my chakra to my feet and carefully changed the flow with each step.

"Now come back here." Dad called.

I turned around and ran back to my father, and sensei.

"How was that?" I asked.

"You have the focus down, but you hesitated when walking." Dad pointed out. "You have to be confident, or else you'll either fall into the water, or be killed."

"Well don't sugar coat it for me." I said, folding my arms over my chest.

"You're a genin now Kristin, I'm just giving you the reality of what will happen." Dad said. "I want you to be as strong as you can be, there's gonna be a time where I won't be around to protect you."

"I know daddy." I admitted. I turned back to the water and refocused my chakra. "Here we go." I said and jumped off the dock and landed perfectly on the water.

"Nice one Kristin." Sakura complemented, walking down the dock.

"Thanks." I smiled as I moved across the water's surface.

Tazuna joined Sakura and dad on the docks and watched me also. "So are the girls my escorts today?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I'm gonna be training here for a while." I informed. "Sakura, you can guard him by yourself, you're more than capable."

"That settles it." dad said.

Sakura and Tazuna headed towards the bridge, while I stayed and continued my own training. As for Sasuke and Naruto, those two headed to back to the forest for more training on the tree climbing.

* * *

As I trained, time flew by and soon Sakura and Tazuna came back for a lunch break.

"Come on inside and eat Kristin." Tsunami called.

I braced myself against the water. I was getting better at maneuvering and dodging and still keeping balance.

"Coming!" I called.

I ran and jumped onto the dock, landing perfectly. I slipped my tank-top back on and went inside. We had a nice lunch and I accompanied Sakura and Tazuna back to the bridge.

* * *

The sun began to set and we headed to the market.

"Where are we going?" Sakura asked.

"You want to eat tonight, don't ya?" Tazuna asked. "I have to pick up some things for dinner."

I looked around the market and noticed that a bunch of the people wore rags. And from the looks of their bodies, it looked like they hadn't had a decent meal in a while.

"This is awful." I sighed.

"This is poverty." Tazuna told me.

I looked up at him and sighed. "Mr. Tazuna," I said.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Is there an herb shop around here by chance?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Why would you need to go to an herb shop?" Tazuna raised an eyebrow.

I clutched my satchel, "So I can pick some ingredients up for a tea that my mom always used to make." I answered. "It'll help Sasuke and Naruto when they get back from training, and it'll help Kakashi-sensei get back on his feet."

Tazuna nodded as if he understood. "You can try down there, but I wouldn't get your hopes up on finding all the things you need."

"Thank you." I said, "I'll come find you when I'm finished." I ran ahead in the direction Tazuna pointed.

* * *

As I walked the streets, I saw more groups of people. I even caught a few of them digging for scraps out of the garbage in the alleyways.

"_This is so horrible." _I sighed.

I found a small hut that had small amounts of herbs.

"Can I help you, young lady?" asked the shop owner. He was a medium-aged man with graying hair and brown eyes.

"Just looking for some herbs is all." I answered, smiling.

I found a few of the ones I needed. They were in small amounts, but it would have to do for now. I placed them in a small bag and went up to pay the shop owner.

"Thank you very much." I said, smiling again as I walked out. "Now, time to head back to Sakura and Tazuna."

* * *

I walked a few steps when suddenly, someone blocked my path. He was a tall, muscular man, and he looked very mean.

"Where do you think you're going, little girl?" he asked, bearing his teeth.

I backed away, but found myself surrounded.

"Judging from what she's wearing, I would guess she isn't from around here." said another thug, younger than the other two, but yet a few years older than me.

I slowly backed away from the three thugs, who cornered me. The leader looked down at my waist, "Look at that, she's a little ninja." he snickered.

"You're a long ways from home, girlie." said the youngest one. As he got closer, I could tell he had dark blue hair, and dark eyes.

"I don't want any trouble." I told them, trying not to sound as scared as I was.

"We don't want any trouble either." said the second thug. "We just want some of your money, then we'll let you go."

I gripped my satchel strap and backed up a few more steps. I took a kunai from my holster on my leg and held it up defensively.

"Aww, little girl has some guts." taunted the youngest thug.

"Hand over the bag!" ordered the leader.

He lunged at me and I dodged his hand. I managed to get away but was soon cornered again by them.

I turned and faced them, gripping my kunai. Just as one of them was about to hit me, someone stepped in between us and grabbed his arm.

"How dare you." spat the newcomer. "Attacking an innocent girl? That's what a coward dose."

"Let go of the boss' arm now!" ordered the youngest thug.

The new boy glared at him and punched him in the gut with his free hand. The second thug growled and went to attack him, only for him to be kicked back to his friend.

"Who are you?" asked the leader, his voice trembling.

I looked up and saw only the back of the man who saved me. He had long, dark hair and wore a dark colored outfit. "I'm no one you need to concern yourself with." he said. Then in a quick motion, he snapped the lead thugs arm, breaking it.

I gasped and covered my mouth with my hands, dropping my kunai.

"Now leave now or the next thing I'm gonna break is your neck." threatened the boy who saved me.

He released the thugs arm and the three ran off down the street, as fast as they could.

I sighed in relief. "Thanks so much." I said.

"Not a problem at all." he said, his voice softer now. He turned his head towards me and I saw he had dark eyes that matched his hair. "Are you alright?"

I caught my breath and nodded. "I am now." I replied.

The boy handed me the kunai I dropped and I put it back in my holster. He looked down and noticed my headband around my waist.

"You're a shinobi?" he asked, extending his hand to help me.

"Yeah." I answered, taking his hand. "I come from the Hidden Leaf Village, about a two days' journey from here."

He helped me stand up and smiled at me. "What's your name?"

"Kristin." I replied.

But before I could ask him his name, he asked about the herbs I bought. "Who are they for?"

"The rest of my team." I answered. "The boys have been training since this morning, and my sensei is still a bit weak from our last fight."

"It must've been intense." said my rescuer. "So you must really care about your team to have bought all those herbs."

I nodded, and blushed slightly. "Well one the guys is one of my best friends. The other two members are becoming friends, and my sensei is, well, he's practically a father."

"Well your team is in good hands with you around." complemented my rescuer.

I looked away and chuckled, "I guess so." I looked at his face and smiled. "I should get going, thanks again for saving me from those thugs."

"It was my pleasure." he said, smiling back. "Farewell Kristin."

I waved goodbye and headed towards where I last left Tazuna and Sakura. I cast a glance back, but my rescuer was already gone. _"Whoever he was, he was so cute." _I giggled internally.

* * *

I found Sakura and Tazuna and we headed back to the house.

"Did you find the herbs you needed?" Sakura asked me.

I nodded. "Yeah, I did. I'll brew the tea once Sasuke and Naruto get back."

"Sounds like a good plan." Sakura said.

* * *

We went back to the house and waited around while Tsunami started on dinner. I took a little bit of time to practice more of my water walking training, so I returned to the dock and picked up where I left off.

I focused on my chakra and the water, trying to balance them perfectly in my mind. In a swift motion, I jumped from the dock and landed on the water, and didn't stumble once. I then decided to test out how far I've come. I created five water clones of myself and had them all stand scattered on the water.

I took out one kunai and lunged for them. I dodged the ones aiming for me, and attacked whichever one I could. Soon, all of them were gone, and it was only me.

* * *

"Kristin!" Naruto called.

I spun around and saw him and Sasuke approach the house.

"What the hell are you doing Kris?" Sasuke asked me.

"What does it look like?" I asked back, folding my arms over my chest. "I'm training."

"You're standing on the water!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing to my sandal-clad feet planted firmly on the water's surface.

"Very perceptive genius." I scoffed. "Since I finished the tree climbing exercise, I decided this was the appropriate next step."

I turned back around and prepared my hands. _"Now what was that sequence again?" _I asked myself. I thought back to dad's battle with Zabuza, when they created those two dragons. I recalled the sequence and positioned my hands, preparing the sign for Ox. _"Ushi-Saru-U-Ne-I-Tori-Ushi-" _

"Come inside Kristin!" my dad called.

I groaned. "Oh come on!" I stomped the water.

"You can pick up training later, right now it's dinner time." dad called again.

I surrendered and ran across the water and jumped back on the docks. I put my tank-top on and went inside, with Sasuke and Naruto right behind me.

* * *

When dinner was served to all of us, Sasuke and Naruto dug in immediately. Sakura and I glanced at each other from across the table, disgusted by how the boys were acting.

"And I thought Choji had a massive appetite." I sighed, taking a small bite of rice and fish.

"Well they are growing boys." Dad chided next to me.

I rolled my eyes in disgust. Sakura mirrored my action.

Sasuke and Naruto scarfed down their helpings and stood up. "I want some more!" they yelled. A second later, they each turned to the side and threw up what they just ate.

I twitched my eyebrows in disgust.

"Don't eat so much if you're gonna puke it up!" Sakura scolded.

Sasuke wiped his mouth, "I have to eat." he said.

"And I have to eat more than him." Naruto added. "It's the only way I'll get strong enough to beat him."

"That is true." said Dad. "But puking won't help you."

"All puking is going to do is land you both in the hospital." I added, glaring at both of the boys.

* * *

After dinner, I helped Tsunami clean up and prepared the tea. I poured eight glasses and passed them around to the others.

I could tell by the looks on their faces that the boys had eaten way to much.

"Here." I said, placing a glass of tea in front of Sasuke. "Drink this, it'll make you feel better." I placed another glass in front of Naruto. "Drink up."

"Thanks Kris." Sakura said, taking the glass I handed her.

"No problem, my mom used to make it all the time and it always helped me." I smiled at my teammate and handed my father his glass. "It will also help you get back on your feet, sensei." I giggled.

"That's my girl." dad said, patting my shoulder. "Thank you."

I sat down next to him and sipped my tea.

Sakura walked over to the wall and examined a torn photograph. "Is there a reason for this picture being torn?" she asked. "Inari, you kept glancing at it all through dinner. It looks like someone was in the picture but they got torn out, it's kinda strange, isn't it?"

After a few seconds of silence, Tsunami spoke up. "It's my husband."

Tazuna looked down, "They used to call him a hero in this land."

I looked across the table at Inari, who had his head down. He then stood up and walked out the front door.

"Inari where are you going?" Tsunami asked, but Inari didn't answer. Tsunami followed him out, "Father you can't talk about him like that in front of Inari, you know that."

* * *

"Inari's so…" I began. "I mean, what happened to him?" I asked, looking down at my tea glass.

"Is there a story behind this?" dad asked, looking at Tazuna.

"He wasn't his real father, he came into our family later." Tazuna began. "He brought so much joy and happiness into Inari's life."

That peeked my interest and I looked up.

"In those days, Inari used to laugh and smile all the time." Tazuna added, then his fists tightened and a few tears fell. "But that all changed. Inari doesn't laugh or smile anymore. That's when everything changed. Courage was stolen from this island and Inari suffered the most, ever since it happened."

I took another sip of tea and exchanged glances with the rest of my team.

"Tell us." dad urged. "What happened to Inari."

"First you need to know about his father, the man who taught us the word 'courage'. He was a hero in this land." Tazuna wiped away the tears that were forming in his eyes.

"A hero, really?" Naruto asked, intrigued.

"You can decide that for yourself." Tazuna told us.

"So who exactly was he?" I asked. "I mean, he must've been a great man to have such an influence over Inari like that. And to have had an impact on the island." I leaned in closer to hear what Tazuna had to say.

"He came here about three years ago." said Tazuna. "A couple of bullies were picking on Inari, who was out playing with Pooch, the family dog."

Tazuna then went on to say that the bullies were fed up and threw the dog in the water, then pushed Inari in after him. He had also mentioned that Inari didn't know how to swim.

"But interestingly enough, at that exact moment, Pooch figured out how to dog paddle." Tazuna added. "That's when he came into Inari's life. It was that very day." Tazuna glanced at the photograph then back at us. "His name was Kaiza, a simple fishermen who came to our land to follow his dream." he added. "Inari never knew his real father so it was important to him to have Kaiza in his life. Soon Inari began to follow in his footsteps like a real father and son. Kaiza spent more and more time with us until he naturally became part of the family."

"That sounds really nice." I smiled and laid my head on my arms.

"It was. Eventually Kaiza married my daughter and treated Inari as his own son, which made him so very happy." Tazuna said. "Then when this town needed him, he became something much more."

"He became a hero?" I asked.

Tazuna nodded. He told us that one night a huge storm came by and nearly flooded the lower district of their village. Kaiza had been the man who volunteered to swim out and pull the flood gate closed, basically saving the village. "From that day on Kaiza was named our hero and Inari was so proud to be his son." Tazuna said. "It wasn't long after that, when Gatō and his thugs took over. Kaiza was the only one who stood up to them." he went on. "Gatō couldn't have a local hero standing in his way. It took his entire gang to stop one man."

"Damn." Sasuke breathed.

"Then what Mr. Tazuna?" I asked.

"After his gang beat down Kaiza, Gatō used it as a public display to scare the villagers." Tazuna answered. "In front of all the villagers, Gatō had Kaiza executed, as his punishment for standing against him." he froze a few seconds, then went on. "That day changed Inari. It also changed Tsunami and all our people. We lost our hope."

I wiped away the tears that were forming, "That's so awful." I sighed.

* * *

We were all silent after that. Suddenly Naruto stood up, but ended up falling flat on his face.

"What are you doing down there Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"I think you better take the day off, no more training." advised our sensei. "You've used up way too much chakra."

"If you push any harder it could kill you." I added, taking another sip of tea.

"I'm gonna prove it." Naruto said, standing up.

"Prove what?" asked Sakura.

"That in this world, there are real heroes." Naruto answered.

We all stared at him.


	12. Battle on the Bridge! Zabuza Returns!

**Battle on the Bridge! Zabuza Returns!**

**A/N: **I'm so sorry for the long wait to upload this next chapter. I'm working on updating as quickly as I can. Again sorry, but here it is. Hope you all enjoy^^

* * *

_An eerie fog surrounded us and I had no idea what had happened. My perception was different and my senses seemed keener than before. I looked around, searching for my teammates, but couldn't make out where they were. _

_Then I heard the sound of crying, it sounded female, but I didn't know where it was coming from. _

_I took a few steps, then felt something cold and wet. Looking down I saw I had stepped in a puddle of water, and it caused ripples. I leaned forward and, when I got a clear visual, the reflection in the puddle wasn't me, or at least, it wasn't human. _

"_Told you that you would need my help if you and your team wanted to survive." she said. "And now that I am free, I'm ready to slash a few throats."_

_Suddenly, I tasted something sweet in my mouth. It was thick and warm. I licked my canine teeth, and they felt sharper than normal. Then my feet felt sticky, and when I looked down, I didn't see hands, or feet, but rather big, black paws, with sharp claws, dripping red. _

_Then I realized what was dripping from my claws; blood, and I screamed. But my scream wasn't a human scream; but more of a painful howl. I looked down and saw I was standing in a pool of blood, and I felt compelled to lean down and lick some more, because it tasted sweet as it dripped from my canine teeth. I shook my head, shut my eyes, and jumped out of the pool and landed on what felt like cold, solid concrete. _

_A dark chuckle froze me where I stood. My eyes flashed open and he was standing not too far ahead of me. _

"_You've come this far, and now you will die." he said, holding his blade. _

_Zabuza stared at me with those cold, assassin eyes, and I gulped. I howled again, louder this time…_

* * *

I jolted up and screamed, gasping for air.

"Kristin!" Sasuke called as he rushed into the room. He knelt down beside me and placed his hand on my shoulder, "You alright? What's wrong?" he asked.

I caught my breath and rubbed my hands over my face. "That was the most scariest dream yet." I shuddered. "They're getting worse and worse each night." I put my face in my hands.

Sasuke rubbed my back. "What was it this time?" he asked, "Tell me."

I ran my hands over my face and shuddered again. "There was this fog everywhere. I was looking for you guys, and couldn't find you. I was so scared." I answered. "Then I uh…I had this strange taste in my mouth, and I swear it was blood." I looked into Sasuke's eyes. "My reflection was Helena's and she was basically giving me the 'I told you so' speech. I was standing in a pool of blood, and it took all my willpower not to lick it off my paws." I shuddered again. "Then I heard Zabuza's laugh and froze."

Sasuke wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close, "If we run into him again, we'll just help Kakashi fight him. That's what we've been training for isn't it?"

"That's not my point Sasuke." I told him. "It's not Zabuza I'm afraid of. I know my dad can kick his ass."

"Then what is your point Kris?" Sasuke asked.

"My demon seal, that's my point." I answered. "If it breaks now, I won't be able to control her. And I could very well kill anyone, including you and my father."

"Your seal isn't supposed to break until you turn sixteen." Sasuke said. "At least, that's what you've always told us."

"I know." I admitted. "But ever since our first run-in with Zabuza, I can feel it's power. It's like Helena is trying to break free."

Sasuke squeezed my shoulder, "You're stronger than she is. It's your body, not hers."

I looked into his onyx eyes and smiled, "I know, but my dreams have been getting worse ever since we came here. I'm beginning to wonder if that's not some kind of sign."

"Then, you'll just have to remember who your allies are. Who your family and friends are." Sasuke told me. "As long as you remember who you really care about, Helena shouldn't be able to take control over you."

"You have that much faith in me?" I asked him.

"You said that as long as you stay focused on who's important to you, you'll keep control and use Helena's power, not the other way around." Sasuke reminded. "And you said that you would keep your family, me, Shikamaru, and Choji in mind whenever your seal dose break."

That is the main reason why I was hoping I would have at least one of my best friends on my team, just in case my seal did break early I would need all the support I could get if I was going to control the demon wolf spirit inside of me.

I slid out of my sleeping bag and undid my braided hair.

"I'll meet you in the dining area." Sasuke said, patting my shoulder before he left.

* * *

I grabbed my outfit and went to the bathroom to change. As I wrapped the bandages around my legs and waist, I felt a sharp pain run through my body. I gripped the sides of the sink to brace myself. The pain was intense and it felt like my skeletal system was moving under my skin. I bit my lips to avoid screaming in pain.

Then I heard Helena's chuckle and I looked up and slowly saw my reflection shift. First intricate designs in crimson ink traced my face and neck, then they merged together creating an image of a half-human beast, then the reflection changed to a full wolf head staring back at me with bloodshot, dark blue eyes. Helena grinned, flashing her canine teeth. "It's only a matter of time sweetie. I'll be unleashed, whether you can handle the power is entirely up to you." she chuckled.

"No, I won't unleash you. Not until I can control you." I spat, gripping the sink as another wave of pain struck. I inhaled then exhaled and closed my eyes. _"Just focus, remember whose important to you." _I thought and remembered the last time I was with Choji, Sasuke, and Shikamaru.

It was the Founder's Festival, where all the villagers gathered celebrating the founding of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. We each wore kimonos with our dominate clan colors and clan symbols on the back. We hit every snack booth and game booths, Shikamaru and Sasuke competed with each other, don't as me why.

* * *

{Flashback}

I walked in between Sasuke and Shikamaru as we walked through the festival grounds. Choji hit every snack booth there was, grabbing a few of everything they had. I was munching on my funnel-cake on a stick.

"Just think, this time next year, we'll be genin." I said.

"All that hard work is going to pay off." Shikamaru sighed. "If you ask me, hallelujah."

I giggled. "What would really be cool is if we ended up on the same squad." I said, looking at all three of my friends.

"We would be totally awesome." Choji said, his mouth full of popcorn.

We passed by a game booth, and Shikamaru volunteered to play this time.

"Seriously?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey maybe I don't train all the time like you do, this is just for fun." Shikamaru smirked and picked up a tennis ball. He focused and tossed it, knocking over all the glass bottles in one motion.

"Nice one Shikamaru." Choji cheered.

"What prize kid?" asked the booth worker.

Shikamaru looked around at the various stuffed animals and pointed to a medium sized deer. The booth worker grabbed it and handed it to him.

"Enjoy the festival kids." he called as we walked away.

"For you, Kris." Shikamaru handed the deer to me.

"Aw, thanks Shikamaru." I giggled, "I love it."

I held the deer and the four of us continued to walk.

"Come on guys, the fireworks are gonna start soon." Choji urged us.

"That's the best part of the festival." Sasuke pointed out.

"Agreed, let's go find a good spot." I suggested.

We picked up our pace and found the perfect spot. It was in the center of the festival grounds, and had a nice open view. We set up the blanket and huddled close together, I was crushed in between Sasuke and Shikamaru, while Choji was on the other side of Shikamaru.

The fireworks began and we all watched in awe. I looked at my three best friends and smiled. It was nice to know that even though we came from four very different clans, and that I wasn't the most 'normal' girl, that we could all spend this time together.

{End Flashback}

* * *

I exhaled and relaxed. _"As long as I remember who I care about, Helena can't take over."_

"You just keep telling yourself that." Helena said.

I opened my eyes and her reflection was gone. I sighed in relief and quickly finished getting dressed.

* * *

I walked into the dining area, where Sasuke and my dad were already up. As were Tsunami, Tazuna, and Inari.

"Morning sweetie." dad greeted. "Sleep well?"

I poured some tea and sat next to him and sighed. "Yea I guess." I yawned.

Sakura walked in a few seconds later, "Morning everyone." she yawned and stretched her arms. She sat down and Tsunami handed her a glass of tea, "Thank you."

"Looks like Naruto was out late again." I pointed out, looking around.

"I guess he was out all night from the looks of it." Tazuna added.

"He's gone completely crazy." Sakura said. "He was out climbing trees in the dark." she sighed. "He's probably dead by now, you know from using up too much of his chakra."

"Well I hope he's okay." Tsunami said. "A young boy spending the night in the woods alone."

"You don't need to worry about him." said Dad. "Naruto's a goofy kid but he's also a full fledged ninja, he can handle himself."

"Sakura's right." Sasuke cut in. "Naruto's such a looser. He's probably lying out there dead somewhere."

I sighed and sipped my tea. "I wouldn't hold your breath." I advised. "Naruto's not one to roll over and die so easily."

Sasuke stood up and walked towards the door.

"Where you going Sasuke?" I asked.

"I'm going for a walk." he answered. "See ya later."

"But we just started eating." Sakura pointed out.

She and I then looked at Sasuke's plate.

"Well that was fast." we said in unison.

I glanced over and saw that Inari hadn't even touched his breakfast.

* * *

After about a half an hour, Sakura, dad, and I went into the forest to try and find Sasuke and Naruto. We called their names but no one answered. Then a Kunai knife flew down from the tree and landed at our feet.

"Wow Naruto can climb that high with just using his chakra?" I gaped.

Naruto smiled that dorky smile and stood on the branch. "So what do you think?" he asked. "High enough for you guys?"

I put my hand over my eyes to block out the sun. Naruto smiled again and stood on the tree branch. Then, being the casual Naruto, slipped and nearly fell off the branch.

"Naruto!" Sakura and I screamed in unison.

"Oh boy." Dad sighed.

Naruto swung around the branch and landed, feet first, on the bottom, hanging upside down from his feet. Just like when Dad showed us the exercise to begin with.

"I had you guys fooled didn't I?" Naruto chuckled.

"You idiot! We were worried about you!" Sakura berated.

I scoffed and clenched my hand into a fist. "I'm so gonna kill you Naruto!"

Dad just watched as the two of us yelled at our teammate. "Why do I think this is going to end badly?" he muttered to himself.

"_Because everything seems to end badly." _I thought to myself.

My thought was proven when Naruto's feet slipped from their position, leading him to fall from that high branch.

Then out of nowhere, Sasuke appeared and grabbed Naruto by his feet, with Sasuke hanging from the bottom side of a tree branch.

"You are such a looser." Sasuke grunted, holding Naruto by one foot.

"Oh! Yay Sasuke! You're the best!" Sakura squealed.

Dad closed his eye and smiled, "If I'm still sane by the time I finish their training, it'll be a miracle."

I scoffed beside him. "Dad, we'll be lucky to be alive when our training is finished." I rolled by eyes and placed my hand on my hip, watching my teammates act like total morons. But I just couldn't help but smile in the face of it all.

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto didn't come back to the house till late that night.

"Now they're both late." Sakura sighed. "I would've never expected that from Sasuke."

Just as she said that, Sasuke and Naruto walked in, both looking exhausted.

"We did it." Naruto chuckled. "We both climbed all the way to the top."

Sakura and I exchanged glances and gasped. We then turned to the direction of our sensei, who just smiled.

"Well done." he said. "Starting tomorrow you both are bodyguards for Tazuna."

Naruto smiled and yelled in victory, causing both him and Sasuke to fall on their asses.

"You are such a looser Naruto." Sasuke grunted.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, taking a sip of my tea. Naruto and Sasuke took their seats at the table and we started our dinner.

"In a few days, the bridge will be finished." Tazuna told us. "I have you to thank for that."

"You all have done great." Tsunami added. "But you still have got to be careful."

"I've been meaning to ask you this, and haven't had the chance until now." Tazuna said. "Why is it that you stayed after you figured out I lied to bring you here?"

The four of us genin exchanged glances, because we were wondering the exact same thing.

" 'Those who stray from the path of justice have no courage; but under the wing of a strong leader, cowardness cannot survive'." Dad quoted.

Tazuna and Tsunami had a blank look on their faces.

I chuckled, "That was a quote from the First Hokage." I informed, smiling.

"I don't ever remember hearing that." Naruto said.

"That's because you were never in class you looser." Sasuke reminded.

Sakura nodded in agreement. "And even when you were in class, you never paid any attention. Unlike me who-"

I cleared my throat, cutting off Sakura's rant of her own.

Dad smiled, sweating off the fact that his four genin were at each other's throats in the middle of dinner.

Inari sat quietly in his chair, deep in thought it looked like. "Why?" he whimpered, tears falling from his eyes. "All this training is a waist of time." his voice grew louder and he stood up from his chair. "Gatō has a whole army and you all will be wiped out!" He cast a glance at each of us Hidden Leaf Shinobi, "All this cool stuff you all say and do, it doesn't mean anything! You all will be wiped out. No matter how you look at it, the strong always win and the weak always loose."

"Well you can speak for yourself kid." Naruto grunted. "It may be that way for you, but it won't be for me."

"Just be quiet!" Inari yelled at Naruto. "You don't know anything about this country, you're just butting in!" the tears kept falling. "All this laughing and playing around, you have no idea what it's like to be treated like dirt."

Naruto tensed up. Inari had said the wrong this to the wrong person, and I had a feeling this was going to get ugly.

"Listen to yourself, whining and complaining like some sorry little victim." Naruto spat.

Inari gasped.

"You can whimper all day for all I care." Naruto added. "You're nothing but a coward." he lifted his head and stared right at Inari.

Inari still kept crying.

"Naruto!" Sakura snapped. "You went to far!"

Naruto shrugged it off and walked out of the dining area.

I turned my head and watched, "Naruto." I muttered. I looked down at the table and sighed. "Boy, we are one dysfunctional team, that's for sure."

* * *

I helped Tsunami clear the table and wash the dishes, feeling like I had nothing better to do.

"You don't have to help me you know." Tsunami said.

"I know, but I want to." I replied, rinsing one of the dishes. "I don't mind really, I'm happy to help."

Tsunami smiled at me as she dried the dish I just washed.

"I'm sorry about what happened at dinner." I apologized. "Sometimes Naruto doesn't know when to stop talking."

"It's perfectly alright dear." Tsunami replied. "I apologize for what Inari had said to you all. We are very grateful that you brought my father here safely."

I smiled, "It was our pleasure." Even though we could've gotten killed along the way since we're still new at the whole ninja thing, but I wasn't going to say that out loud.

I looked out the window and saw my dad sitting by Inari out on the docks, just outside the house.

* * *

After finishing the dishes, I walked out front, and heard the talking halt.

"Am I interrupting something?" I asked, standing in the doorway.

"Not at all Kristin." dad replied. "What is it?"

I stepped forward, feeling the soft, sea breeze. "I just wanted to say goodnight dad, I'm turning in."

My dad began to stand, but I halted him by walking over, "No, I'll come to you."

I knelt down and wrapped my arms around my dad, hugging him. He moved one of his arms and wrapped it around my back.

"Goodnight Kristin, sweet dreams." dad rubbed my back and tightened his embrace.

I squeezed tighter as well. "Night dad, I love you." I laid my head on my dad's shoulder, feeling the calmness of being in father's arms.

I guess, coming to the Land of Waves and meeting Inari made me realize something; that people anywhere can feel the sting of loosing a parent, glad to know I'm not the only one. But I do count myself lucky to have the father I have; loving, caring, protective, understanding. I mean, what other man can raise two daughters on his own for six years.

"Love you too Kristin." I pulled away from dad's embrace and let him kiss my cheek.

* * *

I walked back into the house, slipped out of my sandals, and walked back to the room I shared with my team.

I slid my arm warmers off, took off my tank top and threw on my long nightgown, slipping out of my skirt and taking out my ponytail.

Naruto and Sasuke were already out of it, both boys sleeping soundly. Sakura was slipping into her sleeping bag.

"Night Kris." she said, yawning, "See ya in the morning."

"Goodnight Sakura." I smiled, slipping into my own sleeping bag.

I laid there and listened to the ocean, the soothing sound rocking me to sleep.

* * *

The next morning we headed out, well all of us except Naruto, who was still snoring away in the room.

"I'm leaving Naruto to you." dad said to Tsunami. "He's pushed his body to the limit, so he might not be able to move today at all."

"What about you?" Tsunami asked. "You're still recovering yourself."

Dad chuckled. "I'll be fine. Anyway, we're off."

And on that note, me and my team accompanied Tazuna to the bridge.

* * *

However, when we made it to the bridge, all the workers were found beaten and laying down, moaning and groaning.

"What the hell is this?" Tazuna asked, concerned. "Someone was here, someone got to them."

I glanced at my dad, and the expression he had on his face, made me worry. I gulped and put my senses on high alert, someone was here, and I had a bad feeling, we were in for a grueling fight.

Suddenly, a thick mist rolled in, and that got all of us on our toes.

"Sasuke, Kristin, Sakura, get ready!" Kakashi-sensei ordered.

We three formed our protective formation and had our Kunai knives at the ready.

"I knew he was still alive." said our sensei. "He just couldn't wait for round two."

"Kakashi-sensei, it's Zabuza isn't it?" Sakura asked. "This is his Hidden Mist Jutsu."

I gasped, suddenly images from dream came back to me. The thick mist, and the bridge, it was all beginning to make sense.

Something stirred inside of me, and I felt something scraping away at my psyche. Her voice then came through, _"It's time to have some fun." _she chuckled.

I gripped my Kunai tighter, and then heard a very loud heartbeat, that wasn't mine.

The his voice came in light. "Sorry I kept you waiting Kakashi." Zabuza chuckled. "I see you still have those brats with you."

We all gasped.

Zabuza chuckled again, "That one's still trembling."

I heard the Kunai rattling and I knew who's heartbeat I was hearing; Sasuke's.

Then seven clones of Zabuza appeared before us, surrounding us.

Sasuke smirked. "I'm trembling with…excitement."

Kakashi-sensei turned to us, and smiled, "Go on Sasuke." he said.

Sasuke leapt forward and slashed through all of the water clones, creating a ring of water around us.

"So you could see they were all water clones, eh?" Zabuza asked, stepping forward. "Looks like you have a rival, Haku." he added. The same boy with the mask from the other day was by his side.

"Yes. So it seems." Haku said.

We stood, face to face with our enemy. Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke were in front of me and Sakura, who were guarding Tazuna.

A battle was about to commence, and blood was going to be shed. I gripped my Kunai knife, and licked my lips. Something inside of me was itching to break free and fight, and part of me was scared to let it go, the other part, wanted to unleash the darkness and…attribute to the bloodshed.


	13. Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors

**Haku's Secret Jutsu. Crystal Ice Mirrors.**

**A/N: **As I was working on this chapter, I realized it would be too short if I just used the titled episode. So in order to make this chapter about as long as other ones, I combined it with the next chapter "The Number One, Hyperactive, Knucklehead Ninja Joins the Fight", only using the second half of that episode and skipping the short recap. Hope you all enjoy, and I will try to at least get the Land of Waves arc finished up. XOXO~Cyber.

* * *

A thick mist rolled in, and that got all of us on our toes.

"Sasuke, Kristin, Sakura, get ready!" Kakashi-sensei ordered.

We three formed our protective formation and had our Kunai knives at the ready.

"I knew he was still alive." said our sensei. "He just couldn't wait for round two."

"Kakashi-sensei, it's Zabuza isn't it?" Sakura asked. "This is his Hidden Mist Jutsu."

I gasped, suddenly images from dream came back to me. The thick mist, and the bridge, it was all beginning to make sense.

Something stirred inside of me, and I felt something scraping away at my psyche. Her voice then came through, _"It's time to have some fun." _she chuckled.

I gripped my Kunai tighter, and then heard a very loud heartbeat, that wasn't mine.

The his voice came in light. "Sorry I kept you waiting Kakashi." Zabuza chuckled. "I see you still have those brats with you."

We all gasped.

Zabuza chuckled again, "That one's still trembling."

I heard the Kunai rattling and I knew who's heartbeat I was hearing; Sasuke's.

Then seven clones of Zabuza appeared before us, surrounding us.

Sasuke smirked. "I'm trembling with…excitement."

Kakashi-sensei turned to us, and smiled, "He's all yours, Sasuke." he said.

Sasuke leapt forward and slashed through all of the water clones, creating a ring of water around us.

"So you could see they were all water clones, eh?" Zabuza asked, stepping forward. "Looks like you have a rival, Haku." he added. The same boy with the mask from the other day was by his side.

"Yes. So it seems." Haku said.

We stood, face to face with our enemy. Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke were in front of me and Sakura, who were guarding Tazuna.

A battle was about to commence, and blood was going to be shed. I gripped my Kunai knife, and licked my lips. Something inside of me was itching to break free and fight, and part of me was scared to let it go, the other part, wanted to unleash the darkness and…attribute to the bloodshed.

* * *

"Well, well, well, so I had it right." said sensei. "It was all an act."

"An act?" questioned Tazuna.

"With a cute little mask." added Kakashi-sensei.

Sakura and I looked at each other, both slightly confused.

"Big phony." Sasuke scoffed.

"So I guess that whole thing about being a tracker ninja protecting his village was just a bunch of bull shit." I said. "They both look pretty chummy if you ask me."

"He's got some nerve showing up after pulling that trick." Sakura growled.

"And still wearing the mask, who does he think he's fooling?" asked Kakashi-sensei.

"Speak for yourself, sensei." Sakura scoffed.

"That's it, I'm taking him out." said Sasuke.

Sakura and I gasped in unison.

"Who does he think he's fooling?" Sasuke added. "Hiding behind that mask like some sort of clown."

Sakura giggled. "Oh Sasuke, you're so cool."

I rolled my eyes. _"Didn't my dad just say that? I don't think she'll ever change. This is not the time to giggle like we're still in the Academy, she did enough of that as it was." _I thought. _"We have to stay focused if we're ever gonna have a chance at surviving this."_

"_I know how you can…" _Helena chuckled in my subconscious. _"Just let me take a crack at him, it'll be fun."_

I gritted my teeth and tried to tune her out. I kept all of my energy focused on the battle at hand, it was all I really could do.

* * *

The rest of us stepped back and let Sasuke do whatever he was going to do. Then suddenly, the masked boy, known as Haku, instantly appeared right before Sasuke. The two seemed evenly matched when it came to speed and strength. Haku held a single senbon against Sasuke's Kunai knife.

"Girls!" called Kakashi-sensei. "Cover Tazuna and stay close to me. Let Sasuke handle this one."

"Right." Sakura and I replied, taking our stance.

I stood in between Sakura and Kakashi-sensei, giving me the perfect angle to guard Tazuna and aid my sensei if ever needed. I just hope I was ready to act when the time came to.

Haku held two fingers in front if his face and began weaving signs.

"_Hand signs with a single hand?" _I gasped. _"I never knew that was even possible."_

"_Of course it is." _Helena chuckled. _"You just have to know how. It's an advanced form of ninjutsu, we shouldn't take this boy lightly. Sasuke may have just met his match."_

Haku splashed the water around his feet, causing it to surround them in the air. The water shifted into needles and hovered around them. Then they came down in a swift motion, and Sasuke dodged them perfectly.

"_Looks like the training paid off after all." _I said to myself. _"Go get him Sasuke."_

Sasuke tossed miniature shuriken at Haku and appeared behind him, gaining he upper hand in the fight. He landed a few good blows and sent Haku skidding back towards Zabuza, who just stood there shocked.

"Thought you were quicker huh?" Sasuke said. "Now let's see what else you were wrong about."

"You made a big mistake insulting these ninja and calling them brats." Kakashi-sensei said. "A comment like that is guaranteed to bring out Sasuke's attitude, he's the best fighter in the Hidden Leaf Village." sensei then motioned to Sakura and I. "Sakura here is our sharpest mind." Sakura closed her eyes and stuck her tongue out, giggling. "And Kristin here, well she's in between the two; having a sharp mind, but also having a firm grip on ninjutsu techniques." I placed my hand on my hip, flipped my ponytail back and winked.

"And last but not least," he went on, "our number one, hyperactive, knucklehead ninja is Naruto Uzumaki."

Yeah, that basically described him. A part of me wondered where he was, surely he was awake by now. He's missing one hell of a fight. I shrugged my shoulders, oh well I guess.

A surge of chakra energy suddenly caught my attention. I focused on the battle scene and saw Haku was surrounded by a blue energy, chakra no doubt. Suddenly, the air became so thick and so cold, that even I started shivering. Haku wove one hand sign, and then the water on the bridge rose and formed into ice mirrors, all surrounding Sasuke. Haku called it his 'Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors'.

Then, Haku stepped into the mirror in front of him and merged with it.

"_What is that jutsu?" _I gasped internally. _"It's unlike one I've ever seen."_

"_That makes two of us kid." _Helena said. _"It's an advanced technique, combining two types of chakra, to create a deadly jutsu. Sasuke has defiantly met his match."_

My dad ran towards the mirror dome, only to be blocked off by Zabuza. I didn't hear what he said, but judging by my dad's body language, it wasn't goo.

* * *

I could feel the pressure against my psyche increase, and it was getting hard to focus. The feeling was, like a new personality was trying to break free. Helena wanted out, she wanted to fight and coat the bridge with the blood of Haku and Zabuza. But I knew that once that happened, the bloodlust wouldn't be satiated, and she would attack anything else she could, that being my team and Mr. Tazuna.

My internal struggle was halted when I heard the sound of clothes tearing. My head shot up and I saw needles flying in all directions, all hitting Sasuke. He was on his knees, trying his best to cover himself from the assault.

Seeing my best friend in that position made my blood boil. I gritted my teeth and glanced at Sakura, who had a similar expression.

"I'm sorry Mr. Tazuna." I said, closing my eyes. "I have to do this." I opened my eyes and looked at him.

"I understand, now go." he said.

Sakura nodded at me and I took off running.

"Take this!" Sakura yelled.

I spun on my heels and grabbed the kunai she tossed me. "Thanks, but it's not gonna be for me." I smiled.

I focused my chakra to the soles of my feet and jumped, putting myself in an opening between two mirrors. "Sasuke!" I yelled, "Here!" I tossed Sakura's kunai to him, at the perfect angle to where he could catch it with his eyes closed.

His eyes met mine for a second, giving me a silent 'thank you'.

* * *

Then Haku's hand reached out and grabbed the kunai knife hilt.

"Damn." I grunted as I landed on solid ground. "That is not what I was aiming for." I shook my head and backed away from the fortress of ice, my eyes fixating on Sasuke.

"_You could help him if you would just let me take over." _Helena said to me. _"Unless you want your beloved friend to die."_

I shook my head, "No." I muttered. "I let you loose and you'll kill everyone on this bridge."

Helena chuckled. _"Fine, I guess it will be the three of you now. Too bad, I would've loved to see those two fight over you a bit longer but…"_

I tuned her out, not wanting to hear her rant. But that made me wonder something else, if my team was different, could we maybe win here?

* * *

I looked at the crystal fortress, it was made of ice, but something told me it would need a lot of strength to break it. Choji would be the perfect person for that job. Sure he's not the most lean ninja in the village, but he has a taijutsu knockout punch that could break stone. Combine that with Shikamaru's shadow techniques, the four of us could have Haku surrounded; with me and Sasuke using our ninjutsu to finish him, leaving my dad to beat Zabuza a second time.

"_I hate to interrupt your fantasizing but out boy isn't looking so good." _Helena said, snapping me back to reality.

Sasuke was almost struggling to get up. He managed to get to a sitting position, when suddenly, a miniature shuriken came out of nowhere and hit Haku in his blind spot, knocking him out of the mirror, and surprising the rest of us.

"Who on earth could that be?" I asked, blinking.

Then an explosion sounded, a very noisy one.

"_That answer your question?" _Helena breathed.

I should have known; our number one, hyperactive, knucklehead ninja, Naruto. I was found correct when the smoke cleared, and said genin stood, with a goofy expression on his face.

"Naruto Uzumaki, is here." he announced, "Yeah, believe it!"

Helena and I groaned and sighed, yeah that's Naruto for you. His entrance also caught everyone else off guard as well.

* * *

"Now that I'm here, everything will be alright." Naruto said. "You know how in the stories the hero shows up at the last minute, and then kicks butt? Well that's what I'm gonna do right now."

"_You jackass." _I groaned. _"If you would've stayed hidden, you could've been more effective than just announcing yourself to everyone."_

"_And we're supposed to trust him to have our backs?" _Helena whined. _"I would much rather trust your lazy ass friend over this moron."_

I gritted my teeth. _"Keep your opinions about my friends to yourself, Helena." _I scolded. It didn't matter who or what she was, I wasn't gonna stand by and let her talk bad about my best friends. Sometimes, having another personality in your own psyche can be such a pain in the ass.

Naruto smirked and prepared his hands, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Zabuza narrowed his eyes and threw four shuriken right at Naruto, who just stood there.

"Naruto move!" ordered Kakashi-sensei.

Haku tossed four senbon, which canceled out Zabuza's shuriken, much to the shock of all of us.

"He didn't get him." Sakura sighed.

"Their weapons canceled each other out, amazing." added Tazuna.

"_That idiot just got lucky." _Helena huffed.

I clenched my fists. "What the hell were you thinking Naruto?" I yelled. "Are you crazy? Or just stupid?"

"This is a battle, not a talent show." added Kakashi-sensei. "Don't let the enemy see your jutsu."

Naruto gasped, knowing sensei was right. I rolled my eyes.

"The shinobi's art is deception." sensei went on. "Always keep the enemy guessing. Even when executing a simple jutsu, cath your enemy off balance and out manuever just made yourself a human target when you entered the battle like that."

Naruto gasped and yelled. "I'm sorry, I was just trying to rescue everybody!"

I sighed, _"Like we needed it."_

"_Well some of us-" _Helena began.

"_Shut it. I don't want your opinion." _I berated. _"Just be a good dog and stay behind the barrier and all will be fine."_

Helena growled but obeyed. The tension in my subconscious mind died down a bit, letting me refocus on the battle at hand.

"Let me fight this boy, my own way." Haku asked Zabuza, who reluctantly agreed.

"Bring it on!" Naruto prided.

"_If we make it out of this battle alive, it will be a miracle." _I sighed internally. Helena chuckled in agreement with me.

* * *

"As usual, you've gone soft Haku." Zabuza huffed.

"_Soft?" _I questioned. My attention drifted over to Sasuke, and I noticed all the cuts he had gotten from the senbon. The cuts were shallow and none had hit a single, vital spot. Then it hit me, Haku wasn't trying to kill Sasuke at all, but then, what could Haku be doing really. That was the question we needed to answer.

"Whoever you are, I'm gonna rip off that mask and rip you apart!" Naruto threatened.

There wasn't a snowball's chance in Hell that Naruto could ever match this ninja, he was only kidding himself making a threat like that.

* * *

I felt someone's eyes on me and I glanced over to see my father watching me intently. I could tell he was caught between a rock and a hard place. He knew that if he moved in to help Sasuke and Naruto, Zabuza would take out Tazuna, and me and Sakura as collateral casualties. But the way he was watching me, made me shiver. It was like he could sense my internal struggle to keep Helena at bay in subconscious mind.

Dad was the one who placed the sealing jutsu on me in the first place, and he had set it to time out when I turned sixteen years old. He chose that age because he somehow knew that by then I would be a strong enough ninja to control the excess chakra that Helena would give me. I would be able to control her as well, and all the instincts that came from a wolf demon.

But, if this battle dragged on any longer, I may not have a choice on whether Helena breaks free or not. Ever since that seal was placed on me, every so often, I would get images from my subconscious mind. And now, at this present moment, I was getting another one.

I could see the dark recesses of my psyche where Helena's spirit resided. The sealing jutsu formula created a chain barrier, keeping her locked in the deepest part of my psyche. Her bloodshot eyes peered through the darkness and she lunged forward, swiping her black paws through the chains, snarling. Saliva dripped from her fangs as she tried to rip the chains apart with her teeth. She yanked as hard as she could, but the chains still held. Helena snarled and swiped her paws through the chains, the look in her eyes was filled with the desire the break free, the desire to fight.

* * *

I shook the image away and broke gazes with my father, instead focusing on my teammates, and pondering what my next move would be.

Haku and Naruto stared at each other. "Just like your sensei said, deceiving your opponent, catching them off guard, that is the art of the shinobi."

Sasuke took that opportunity while Haku talked to Naruto to throw the kunai I had given him at Haku, who dodged with ease, not even looking in Sasuke's direction.

The young shinobi turned towards Sasuke and walked through one of his own mirrors, staring Sasuke down.

"Let's finish our battle then, to the death." Haku said.

I clenched my hands into fists and jumped a few steps back, making sure I still had a decent view of the fight about to start, in case he needed any backup.

Haku's reflection appeared in all the mirrors and another barrage of senbon came at Sasuke from all directions. He flew backwards and landed on his back, more cuts appeared all over, and began to bleed.

"Sasuke!" Sakura, Naruto, and I screamed in unison.

The attacks were coming from all directions, and none of us could figure out exactly where the real Haku was.

"_The only way to figure that out is to first find out how the mirrors work." _Helena said. _"And to do that, Sasuke and Naruto would have to attack from the inside and outside at the same time." _

"_Think that would work?" _I asked her.

"_It's what I would do." _Helena answered.

I shrugged my shoulders and hoped Naruto and Sasuke would figure out what to do before we all get killed.

But that was apparently far from Naruto's mind, or he was just to stupid to realize it. Naruto did the opposite of what was intended. Instead of staying put, he snuck into the ice dome.

Sakura and I blinked in astonishment, on top of that, I sighed in frustration.

"Naruto, you sneak up on your enemy, not your ally." sensei sighed.

Naruto's move, caused yet another argument between the two boys, and I could hear it from where I was standing.

"_I think now it's safe to say…you're screwed." _Helena chuckled.

I hate to admit it, but my demon personality is right for once. Unless Sasuke and Naruto can work together (like I see that happening in the near future) we're all screwed. royally screwed.

Sasuke executed his fire style technique, only for it not to come close to even singing the ice. Suddenly, in a bright flash, both Naruto and Sasuke were knocked to the ground, beaten even more.

In his current emotional state, Naruto didn't think at all when he executed his Shadow Clone technique. The images on the mirrors seemed to shift and attack each clone, destroying them all and sending Naruto skidding to the ground.

Suddenly, my dad gasped. "Of course, it's a bloodline trait." he said. "A kekkei genkai."

"Kekkei genkai?" Sakura asked. "What's that?"

"It's like my Sharingan, you can't learn it." sensei answered. "It has to be in your blood. In your genetic code, passed down from generation to generation, within a single clan."

"But that means…" I said.

"Yes, even I can't copy that jutsu." sensei finished. "There's no way to stop it, or destroy it."

"That means Sasuke and Naruto are fighting blind." I said. "And all we can do is stand here and wait."

I hated feeling this helpless, like I was useless to help my teammates when they could really use it. All I could do was stand where I was and keep an eye on Zabuza's movements, in case he made a break for Tazuna. We came into this mission thinking it was a simple C-Ranked one. But we defiantly got more than we bargained for, two ranks more.

"_Sasuke, Naruto. Please set your differences just this once so you both can come out of this alive." _I begged in my mind. I clasped my hands together and hoped it would come true, that by some miracle, we all would make it out of this mission alive.


	14. Zero Visability

**Zero Visibility: The Sharingan Shatters.**

**A/N: **Hey ya'll, I'm just going to apologize in advanced, this chapter is shorter than the previous chapters. But I hope you like it^^ Review please.

* * *

My dad gasped. "Of course, it's a bloodline trait." he said. "A kekkei genkai."

"Kekkei genkai?" Sakura asked. "What's that?"

"It's like my Sharingan, you can't learn it." sensei answered. "It has to be in your blood. In your genetic code, passed down from generation to generation, within a single clan."

"But that means…" I said.

"Yes, even I can't copy that jutsu." sensei finished. "There's no way to stop it, or destroy it."

"That means Sasuke and Naruto are fighting blind." I said. "And all we can do is stand here and wait."

I hated feeling this helpless, like I was useless to help my teammates when they could really use it. All I could do was stand where I was and keep an eye on Zabuza's movements, in case he made a break for Tazuna. We came into this mission thinking it was a simple C-Ranked one. But we defiantly got more than we bargained for, two ranks more.

"_Sasuke, Naruto. Please set your differences just this once so you both can come out of this alive." _I begged in my mind. I clasped my hands together and hoped it would come true, that by some miracle, we all would make it out of this mission alive.

* * *

"Sasuke! Naruto!" Sakura yelled. "Take this guy out!"

"Don't Sakura." spat Kakashi-sensei. "Don't push them."

"Why not?" Sakura asked.

"Even if they did find a way around the mirror jutsu, they still couldn't defeat this ninja." sensei went on.

I gasped, "How can you be so sure sensei?" I asked.

"Sure they have the desire to win the fight, but they lack something else." he answered.

Sakura gulped. "And what would that 'something else' be exactly?"

"The instinct to kill." sensei said, bluntly.

"_The instinct to kill?" _I repeated in my mind.

Helena chuckled. _"It's the main skill that makes a Shinobi a real threat. The instinct to take the life of your opponent."_

I gulped. The main reason I refuse to let Helena's power surface now, when she's prying to get free, is because I want to avoid the bloodshed if at all possible.

"_Does that make me a weak shinobi?"_ I asked myself.

"_You're still young and just starting out." _Helena answered. _"In time you'll find that taking the life of your opponent is natural in the shinobi way, everyone has to do it sometime. Whenever you choose, is entirely up to you."_

"_I don't think I can trust you, Helena." _I scoffed.

"_That killer instinct will come in due time, Kristin dear." _her voice trailed off, and I couldn't sense her presence anymore.

* * *

I continued to watch ahead, knowing that Haku was in a different league than the rest of us.

Zabuza laughed, and it sent chills down my spine. "Your village has become complacent. Your trainees aren't taught the most important lesson of all; to kill the feelings in their own hearts. To crush their opponent, to kill without emotion or regret."

"But then what are we gonna do?" Sakura asked. "Please sensei, tell us."

My dad was deep in thought, contemplating his next move. I had no idea what he was going to do.

"Kristin, do you know what we can do?" Sakura asked.

"Why are you asking me?" I looked back at her. "You're the brains of the team."

"Yeah, but you're…" she trailed off and glanced at Kakashi-sensei then back to me, "…you've had private training."

"If you're asking for a strategy, then you're asking the wrong genin." I told her._ "Of course the only genin I know who could think of the perfect strategy that could get us all out of here alive is one another team." _my thoughts drifted to this previous summer, when I fully realized Shikamaru wasn't the lazy ass everyone pointed him out to be.

* * *

{Flashback}

It was the first day of summer vacation, just a couple months of freedom from classes and homework, meaning a couple months for me to spend all day, every day, with the three boys I would trust with my life.

Our casual hang out was up in the mountains where we could just hang out and be ourselves.

"What the hell is Shogi anyway?" I asked Shikamaru, who said he wanted to play said game with me.

"Just a simple game." was his answer. "Here's the rule book." Shikamaru tossed me the booklet and I read over it.

"You expect me to play this? I'm surprised you even started." I chuckled, knowing he never had the patience for a complex game like this.

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders, "I play it with my dad sometimes."

I nodded, flipping through the book.

"Good luck Kris." Sasuke said, laying by the lake shore.

I glared at him, "Yeah whatever."

Shikamaru set the board up and let me make the first move. I really didn't pay much attention to the game really.

"Just think, we have one more year until we graduate." I sighed, leaning back and resting on my hands.

My hair was pulled up with my green ribbon and I wore my white bikini so I could catch some sun.

"And then we'll be ninja." Choji added, floating in the lake.

I chuckled and moved a random tile on the Shogi board.

"It's about time too, the Academy is starting to get a little boring." Sasuke sighed and laid flat on his back.

"Only someone who aces everything would say that, Sasuke." Shikamaru said, moving a Shoji piece and flipping it over.

I rolled my eyes, moving another piece.

Sasuke smirked and closed his eyes.

"Checkmate Kris." Shikamaru said.

"What?" I looked at the board and Shikamaru had indeed, beaten me. "Okay why can't you apply the logic to win this game when we were in class?" I asked him, looking in his brown eyes.

He shrugged his shoulders.

I sighed and laid down in the grass. The sun's rays beat down on me, warming my skin. "Think we would be on the same team?" I asked aloud.

The three boys were silent and I felt their eyes on me. I blinked and sat up, walking over to the lake and dipping my feet in, sitting in the green grass.

"What made you ask that?" Shikamaru asked, sitting on my right.

I sighed. "Just, if we're on the same team, that would mean our friendship would last." it was a childish thought I know, but I really needed them with me once I became a ninja. It was because of those three that I even found the strength to push through class and try my best, with their support I know I could make it as a Kunoichi.

"Our friendship will last, regardless of what genin team we're put on." Choji reassured me.

Sasuke sat on my other side and nodded.

I smiled and fell backwards in the grass, staring at the clear blue sky above me.

{End Flashback}

* * *

"_Why am I wasting brain power thinking of something that can't be changed." _I berated myself. I focused on the battle at hand, and hoped by some miracle we would make it out of this.

I glanced over and saw my dad move his hand to his headband, getting ready to reveal his Sharingan. Zabuza knew this and quickly lunged towards my dad, who blocked Zabuza's attack with his other hand.

"Sensei!" Sakura and I called in unison.

"Let your opponent see your jutsu too many times, and he'll find a way to use it against you." Zabuza informed.

"Then you should count yourself lucky, you're the only man alive who's seen my Sharingan twice." dad rebuked. "Show's over, there won't be a third time."

Zabuza chuckled, "Even if you were able to defeat me, you would never stand a chance against Haku."

I gasped, _"Could that boy really be that strong? That even my dad couldn't beat him."_

"_There are ninja in this world who are prodigies at various techniques that are advanced way beyond them." _Helena said.

I gulped, so Haku could very well be one of those ninja. That's great, we defiantly got more than we bargained for on this mission.

"His skills far surpass the skills of the useless punks who follow you around." Zabuza said to Kakashi-sensei. "His bloodline trait, the kekkei genkai, cannot be beaten."

Sakura and I whimpered.

The next move was Zabuza executing his 'Hidden Mist Jutsu', although this time the mist was thicker, making visibility absolute zero.

"Sakura, stay with Tazuna." sensei ordered. "And Kristin, keep your senses sharp and your guard up."

* * *

I nodded and closed my eyes. When I opened them, I was surrounded by the fog, and it sent chills all throughout my body. _"Keep focus Kristin, don't get scared."_

"_You have my senses as well, you know." _Helena chided. _"Let me be your eyes and ears."_

"_I thought I told you I wasn't going to unleash you." _I reminded her.

"_I'm not asking you to break the seal, I'm asking you to let me help you." _Helena replied. _"It's just me lending you my instincts while I sit here in my own little dark corner."_

I rolled my eyes and caved. I visualized her, a larger than average black wolf, laying curled up in the darkness, her snout buried under her thick tail. Thin, crimson scars ran vertical over her eyes, which were shut. Her ears twitched and her nose slightly moved, as if to smell the air.

The thick mist surrounded me, yet I felt completely calm. I just hope tapping into her senses didn't alter the seal too badly. I couldn't run the risk of her breaking free, not this early.

I heard the conversation going on between Zabuza and my dad. The mist was so thick that dad's Sharingan couldn't penetrate it, making it useless in this fight. As if that wasn't all, Zabuza was also the master of the 'silent killing' technique, meaning he necessarily didn't have to see his opponent to eliminate them. Sound alone would be enough. I just hope we wouldn't loose our lives on this bridge.

However, I had a bad feeling that Sasuke and Naruto weren't having much luck in their fight against Haku. I hoped they would turn things around, but the mist surrounding us left an eerie feeling in the air.

"_Sasuke. Naruto. Please be okay."_ I said in my mind.

The mirrors lit up for a split second before returning to normal. But that wasn't what broke my concentration. Suddenly the smell of blood filled the air, and it made my nose tingle and I, involuntarily, licked my canine teeth, which felt sharper than normal.

"_What's happening?" _I asked.

I heard a high-pitched scream come from the direction of Sakura and Tazuna, and Sakura was the one who screamed.

"_Could this be the end for us all?" _I thought.

"_No my dear." _Helena chuckled. _"It's only the beginning."_


	15. The Broken Seals

**The Broken Seals.**

**A/N: **Again sorry for the short chapter^^

* * *

The mirrors lit up for a split second before returning to normal. But that wasn't what broke my concentration. Suddenly the smell of blood filled the air, and it made my nose tingle and I, involuntarily, licked my canine teeth, which felt sharper than normal.

"_What's happening?" _I asked.

I heard a high-pitched scream come from the direction of Sakura and Tazuna, and Sakura was the one who screamed.

"_Could this be the end for us all?" _I thought.

"_No my dear." _Helena chuckled. _"It's only the beginning."_

* * *

Something inside me stirred, and a jolt of pain shot thorough the entire left side of my body, nearly paralyzing me.

"_What the hell is going on?" _I thought. _"Why am I in so much pain? My body feels like it's on fire, and I can barely control it as it is."_

The pain rippled through me again, causing me to fall on my knees, clutching my hip, digging my nails into the bandages. My senses were telling me that my entire team was in trouble, but for the life of me, I couldn't get up at all. _"Why am I so helpless? My team needs me and I can't even move." _I could feel the moisture welling up in my eyes, but I held them back, because a shinobi never shows it's feelings, that's a principle we learned in school.

With all the strength I could muster, I slowly stood up, still clutching my hip.

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei!" I heard Sakura scream.

I whipped my head around in the direction of Sakura's voice, and that's where the blood was coming from as well.

"_Daddy."_ I breathed.

All I heard was Zabuza's chuckling as he ranted that we were at his and Haku's mercy.

"_I'm at no one's mercy you psychotic nut job." _Helena growled.

An image of her tearing at the chains came to my mind, and the pain coming from my hip intensified. I bit back a shriek.

"_No! Not yet. It can't happen yet." _I whimpered. _"The seal can't break yet, it's too early."_

"_Like it or not sweetie, plans always change." _Helena snarled. _"Destiny loves to throw curveballs at ya, and I know it sucks, but deal with it." _Helena continued to pry out of the darkness of my subconscious, yanking at the chains with all her might.

This was causing my seal to react, and it threw my body into even more pain. I fell back on my knees and clenched my hands into fists, using all my power not to scream.

"_Daddy, I don't know how much longer I can hold her in."_ I cried. _"She's breaking loose, and there's nothing I can do to stop her. I know you all need my help, but I don't know if I can control her in time."_

* * *

I carefully opened my eyes and saw intricate designs form on my hands and my arms. They were etched in crimson ink, almost like a tattoo. My nails turned red and slowly began growing into claws, and star-like markings appeared on the backs of my hands. I could feeling the markings travel all over my body, covering my shoulders, legs, even my chest and abdomen as well. Lastly, I felt it creep along my jaw line and form two marks over my eyes.

"_It's time to have some fun." _Helena chuckled.

Then I felt a stab of pain, as if someone just stabbed me in the chest. It was because of what I heard, and who said it.

"I didn't ask for this! I didn't ask for you to save me!" Naruto yelled.

"I don't know." Sasuke replied, his voice was weak. "My body just moved."

Then, I caught the smell of more blood, and I heard a faint heart rate. _"No, Sasuke."_ I breathed. My senses became clearer, Sasuke had stepped in to take an attack aimed for Naruto, even though he couldn't stand him.

I froze in place, trying to process what I just felt. No, I could never accept that. My best friend can't be dead, there is just no way he could be defeated just like that. He was the best at everything. After all, Sasuke was the number one student in our graduating class, he had the perfect grades.

* * *

{Flashback}

It was a nice, peaceful day, a Sunday, when Sasuke and I decided to spar for fun, to hone our taijutsu skills. We used the back yard of the Academy, just because we could is all. Sasuke and I traded punches, only for the other to block them. I spun on my heels and used my feet to attack with. Since I was a girl, I was naturally light on my feet, a trait that could prove useful in a later battle.

"Got ya!" I yelled, aiming for Sasuke's arm.

Although, he grabbed my leg and threw me off to the side. As soon as I shook it off, a kunai knife landed an inch or two from my nose. "A little to close for comfort there dude." I said, sliding backwards.

"And that would be, yet another, win for Sasuke." Choji announced, taking a handful of potato chips from the bag.

"Wow Kris, your taijutsu isn't really that good." Shikamaru added, helping me stand up.

I brushed the dirt off of my skirt, and rolled my eyes. "Everyone's a critic." I muttered.

Shikamaru handed me a thermos of tea and I drank down a few gulps, rehydrating myself. I picked up the kunai and tossed it back to Sasuke, "Next time, don't throw it so close."

Sasuke caught his kunai and sheathed it. "Just trying to be as realistic as possible." he said.

"Well if it was anymore realistic, you really could've killed me." I reminded, taking another drink from the thermos.

"What are the four of you doing here?" came the voice of an elderly man.

We all turned our attention to who spoke, and it was none other than Lord Third Hokage.

"Lord Hokage." Choji muttered.

The four of us bowed our heads, showing respect for our village leader.

The Third smiled back at us, blowing a puff of smoke from his pipe. "So answer the question. What are four youngsters like you doing on Academy grounds on a weekend?"

"Sparing." Sasuke answered.

"Just trying to keep our skills sharp, sir." I added, smiling.

The Third smiled at us all. "It warms my heart to see a group of dedicated ninja trainees. I know that you four will make this village proud one day." he looked up at the direction towards the Hokage Monuments. "The 'Will of Fire' has indeed been passed down to the next generation."

That was something he talked about all the time to us back when we first started the Academy.

The Third said his goodbyes to us and walked on, happily smoking his pipe. He was such a carefree old man, and a highly respected ninja as well. I remember studying that when he was a sensei himself, he trained three of the most skilled ninja that the village had ever known. And because of their great power, they were come to be known as the Three Legendary Sannin. Although, the Sannin have all left the village for their own reasons, they are still renowned as the three greatest ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village.

I looked at the three guys I had spent the day with and wondered, could we hold tittles like that one day? Could we possibly be the next great team to come from the Hidden Leaf?

I didn't know for sure, but hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

{End Flashback}

* * *

There is no way Sasuke could be dead, he still had something to live for, his dream to make reality.

I could faintly hear him tell Naruto about the promise he made to himself so long ago, on the night that changed him, and made him a little distant from the rest of us. The night his entire clan was murdered, by his own older brother, Itatchi Uchiha.

I was snapped out of my train of thought when I felt something else entirely. A surge of chakra coming from the mirror dome. I looked more closely and saw it was an orange color, like fire.

"_Looks like my cousin has come to play." _Helena chuckled, and I could visibly see her grinning, baring her fangs.

"What kind of chakra is that?" I asked aloud.

I squinted my eyes just enough so I could see past two mirrors and peer inside the dome. There, in the center of it, were two people. The orange chakra swirled around them both, like a flaming tornado. One person was kneeling next to another, protectively. It was when my vision became sharper, that I could make out who was who.

"_No." _I gasped. _"It can't be…"_

The orange chakra was coming from Naruto, who was kneeling next to Sasuke, who showed no signs of life at all. Suddenly, the orange chakra took shape as what looked like a fox head, bearing its teeth.

"_Time to break out and have fun."_ and suddenly, my entire body shifted, and I couldn't stop it.

My knees buckled underneath me and I saw the marks on my hands meld together, turning black. Jet black, just like Helena's fur. The pain I felt was so intense that I soon began to loose consciousness.

* * *

As I slipped deeper and deeper, something came over me. I found myself floating in darkness. A feminine chuckle sounded behind me. I spun around and was face to face with my split personality, the demon spirit that lived in the dark recesses of my subconscious.

Her hair was the same length as mine, only it was deep purple. Her eyes were dark blue, and she wore the exact same outfit that I wore. The same crimson marks that appeared on me, appeared on her as well. Then, like me before, they melded together, turning her skin black, except it was fur, not skin. Black ears sprouted from her head and a tail appeared. She was then surrounded by purple chakra.

"Sorry dear, but it's my turn." she said, grinning. "Take a backseat and let me show you a thing or two about surviving the Kunoichi lifestyle.

I felt myself being shoved back, and I saw the battle through my own eyes, only Helena was the one moving. It was like being a puppet being controlled, I had no control over my movements, or transformation, or my own jutsu.

In a swift movement, my perception changed and I saw my reflection on one of Haku's mirrors. A jet black figure in a jade green outfit, ears and a tail, and claws in place of nails. Sharp fangs bared in a smile that sent chills down my spine. I didn't know what was about to happen next, all I know is I had no control over my body, and I had to possibly accept the fact that I lost my best friend.


	16. Hidden Ambition

**White Past: Hidden Ambition.**

* * *

As I slipped deeper and deeper into unconsciousness, something came over me. I found myself floating in darkness. A feminine chuckle sounded behind me. I spun around and was face to face with my split personality, the demon spirit that lived in the dark recesses of my subconscious.

Her hair was the same length as mine, only it was deep purple. Her eyes were dark blue, and she wore the exact same outfit that I wore. The same crimson marks that appeared on me, appeared on her as well. Then, like me before, they melded together, turning her skin black, except it was fur, not skin. Black ears sprouted from her head and a tail appeared. She was then surrounded by purple chakra.

"Sorry dear, but it's my turn." she said, grinning. "Take a backseat and let me show you a thing or two about surviving the Kunoichi lifestyle.

I felt myself being shoved back, and I saw the battle through my own eyes, only Helena was the one moving. It was like being a puppet being controlled, I had no control over my movements, or transformation, or my own jutsu.

In a swift movement, my perception changed and I saw my reflection on one of Haku's mirrors. A jet black figure in a jade green outfit, ears and a tail, and claws in place of nails. Sharp fangs bared in a smile that sent chills down my spine. I didn't know what was about to happen next, all I know is I had no control over my body, and I had to possibly accept the fact that I lost my best friend.

* * *

The heat from Naruto's chakra overwhelmed me, causing me to recoil back.

"_What the hell?" _I asked Helena.

"Kurama." Helena replied.

"_Kurama?" _I repeated. I had no idea what that meant, or what it had to do with Naruto.

"I forgot, you know him by a different title." Helena said. "The name you know him by is the Nine Tailed Fox."

I gaped. The same fox spirit that destroyed the village twelve years ago, had appeared again, its chakra coming from Naruto. _"Oh hell." _I sighed. Naruto was the baby that the Fourth Hokage sealed the Nine Tails inside of. _"Maybe that's why everyone in the village ignores him, I guess I never thought…"_

"It would be the same if people knew about me and you." Helena chided. "Just because you have the power of some demon that could potentially destroy something, makes people afraid of you."

"_Not everyone."_ my mind quickly flashed to Sasuke, Choji, and Shikamaru, who seemed okay with the fact that I had a demon spirit residing in my psyche.

* * *

One of the mirrors shattered and Haku was sent flying out of the dome. my body reacted and followed his movements. My emotions were all concentrated into a single kick, which was aimed at Haku. I kicked him further down the bridge and he landed with a thud.

My body reacted to the emotions and my perception changed. I cast a quick glance at the mirror next to me and saw my body shift, from a human girl to a black wolf. My forest green headband was around my neck and I had purple bangs over my eyes, which were bloodshot and deep blue, with crimson scars over them.

My attention was then refocused on Haku, who was struggling to get up due to the attacks he suffered. Naruto and I lunged forward, aiming for another attack, but then I noticed his mask crumble off, and with the small amount of power I had, I gained control of my body, braking my lunge, and panting.

The boy behind the mask, Haku, was the exact same person who saved me from those thugs a week ago. The same boy who, I admit, was attractive in the hero sort of way. As I stood there, my body, slowly became my own again.

Naruto's punch stopped shy of Haku's face. He stood frozen, hesitant to strike.

"Why do you hesitate?" Haku asked. "Didn't you just vow to avenge your comrade's death by killing me."

"_Comrade's death?" _I whimpered in my mind. "No, that can't be true."

Naruto turned to face me, a confused look in his eye. We locked gazes and he somehow knew, "Kristin? How long have you been standing there?" he asked.

I couldn't answer. Slowly, I stepped forward. "Is it true?" I whimpered. "Tell me."

Naruto moved his eyes away from mine, "I'm sorry, but yes."

I moved my head to where the mirror dome once stood, only now I saw a body with senbon embedded everywhere.

"Sasuke." I breathed.

* * *

I ran towards him, splashing in the water that was left behind from the mirrors. I circled his body, trying to look for any sign of life, which, I couldn't. I gently nudged his arm with my paw, no response. Sniffling, I bent down and nudged his cheek with my snout, and his body felt cold. "Come on Sasuke, wake up." I whimpered, nudging his cheek again. Then I lightly grazed my tongue along his jaw, still no response. Blood ran from the lower corner of his lip, and I licked it away, hoping that would cause something, but nothing happened.

"_This can't be happening." _I screamed in my head. _"No possible way, I can't…no…" _I couldn't even think straight.

"Sasuke." I cried, laying my head on his chest. Knowing that his body needed to be guarded, I laid next to him, nudging my head underneath his arm, turning my head so I could look at his face. I felt the tears run from my eyes, and I sniffled a few times. So, I laid there, next to the body of my best friend.

I could faintly hear Naruto groan from the distance. He was angry, as was I, but I couldn't act on my anger because I was upset even more.

Even from where I laid, I heard the conversation between Haku and Naruto. Haku was explaining that he once had a family and they were good to each other, only that his mother came from a clan with the kekkei genkai, and that clan was once hired as mercenaries. And one day, Haku had discovered his gift by accident, and his father had seen it. Later, his father killed his mother, and nearly killed him, only Haku's kekkei genkai is what saved him, although his father and some other villagers were killed instead. It was from then on, Haku lived on his own, until he met Zabuza.

After that meeting, Zabuza had trained him in the shinobi art, making him a valuable ninja tool for his own use. And that is what led Haku to believe that his only purpose in life was to serve Zabuza, and now since Naruto had defeated his 'Crystal Mirror' jutsu, there was no longer any use for him. He was ready to die, by Naruto's hand.

* * *

A sudden rumble underground caught my attention, and then I heard multiple growls and the sounds of teeth digging into flesh. That could only mean one thing, my dad had summoned his ninja hounds and they all had Zabuza pinned, waiting for my dad to finish him off.

The thick mist cleared, only a little bit, but it was enough for me to faintly make out where the rest of my team was. I focused on my dad for a brief moment, and saw him prepare a hand sign, and from the first one he weaved, I knew what it was. He was going to use his own signature technique to finish Zabuza off. The signs my dad weaved were Ox-Rabbit-Monkey, and then my dad held his palm upright, and soon, a ball of electrical-natured chakra was in his hand, pulsating. My dad's own signature jutsu, the Lightning Blade.

My ears twitched as I felt the power coming from that technique and I couldn't help but smile._ "Yeah dad, you show him."_ I thought.

* * *

But as I reflected on Haku's story, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. I felt sorry that he was brainwashed into thinking that serving a creep like Zabuza was his purpose in life. If anything, Haku is just like the rest of us, a kid trying to find his way, he was just led along the wrong path.

However, the whole reason I was laying where I was, was because of Haku and his skills. Sasuke's body lay lifeless under mine, and all I could do was try not to attract attention. If Sakura ever saw this, she would be heartbroken.

"_I know you can come back Sasuke, please come back." _I thought, laying my head down and sniffling. My tail moved back and forth behind me. _"Please, come back to me. I can't loose you, your friendship means a lot to me, and I can't survive this road ahead without you." _

All I could do was hope that he would come back, that his will to live and avenge his clan would be strong enough to press on, even though he lost the battle. Like people often say, just because you lost the battle, doesn't mean you've lost the war.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry again for the short chapter, but I'm almost done with the Land of Waves arc, which I am very excited about. So I hope you all will bear with me through these next few chapters, because I can guarantee you that the Chunin Exam Arc will have a lot of characters, excitement, action, and a bit of foreshadowing of later events, both cannon to _Naruto _and ideas I have created for Kristin^^ Again, review and tell me what you think, and don't worry, you'll know more about Helena and her power in the coming chapters.

XOXO~Cyber


	17. The Weapons Known as Shinobi

**The Weapons Known As Shinobi.**

* * *

As I reflected on Haku's story, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. I felt sorry that he was brainwashed into thinking that serving a creep like Zabuza was his purpose in life. If anything, Haku is just like the rest of us, a kid trying to find his way, he was just led along the wrong path.

However, the whole reason I was laying where I was, was because of Haku and his skills. Sasuke's body lay lifeless under mine, and all I could do was try not to attract attention. If Sakura ever saw this, she would be heartbroken.

"_I know you can come back Sasuke, please come back." _I thought, laying my head down and sniffling. My tail moved back and forth behind me. _"Please, come back to me. I can't loose you, your friendship means a lot to me, and I can't survive this road ahead without you." _

All I could do was hope that he would come back, that his will to live and avenge his clan would be strong enough to press on, even though he lost the battle. Like people often say, just because you lost the battle, doesn't mean you've lost the war.

* * *

"Why do you hesitate?" Haku asked Naruto. He kept begging for Naruto to kill him, yet Naruto just stood there.

I think I understood where Naruto was coming from, Haku didn't really deserve to die by any of our hands. I just couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

At the same time, my dad was preaching his last words to Zabuza before he ran him through with the Lightning Blade. I made a mental note to ask dad if he could teach it to me, since it would be a useful technique to have up my sleeve.

* * *

The fog lifted a bit more, enough for me to see both battles going on. Dad was about to strike Zabuza and Naruto was about to kill Haku. But just as Naruto's attack was about to connect, Haku grabbed his arm, halting it.

"Sorry, change of plans." Haku said, gazing at the direction of Zabuza and my father. Haku began weaving more signs with his free hand, "I'm not ready to die quite yet." and then, he vanished.

"_Wait, if he's still in that frame of mind." _I thought, sitting up. My focus honed in on where my dad and Zabuza stood. Just as his Lightning Blade was about to connect, an ice mirror appeared in front of Zabuza. I heard the sound of the attack making contact with flesh, and I saw that Haku had taken the full force of the attack. The impact created a wave of energy, that was enough to throw anyone off balance. On pure instinct alone, I bent down over Sasuke's body, shielding it. The scent of blood filled the air, and the predator in me was turned on by it.

With the last of his strength, Haku held my father's arm in place, keeping him from moving at all.

"Dad no." I whimpered.

Zabuza chuckled, praising Haku for sacrificing his life. He then reached for the massive blade around his back.

"_He would hack right through Haku to take my father out?" _I gasped. _"What a heartless bastard." _

"Kakashi-sensei look out!" Sakura called.

"Daddy!" I yelled.

* * *

Just before the blade could connect, my dad jumped out of the way, Haku's body in his arms. Naruto moved in to attack, only for my dad to call him out.

"Stay out of this Naruto." dad ordered. "This is my battle. Zabuza's mine." The tone of voice my father had, frightened me a little bit. Just when it seemed like we had it, something else intervened.

Since the fog had lifted, I prepared myself for the way Sakura would react, to both Sasuke and myself. I laid back down over his body, my ears down and tail still.

"Naruto!" Sakura called, waving her hand. "Naruto over here! So you and Sasuke are alright?"

I clenched my eyes shut, trying not to make a sound. Naruto didn't answer Sakura, and I heard her gasp, "No."

Zabuza took another swing at my father, only for him to kick Zabuza square in the face, much to my enjoyment. Now that two bodies were on the bridge, my dad was more than motivated to send Zabuza where he belongs, to Hell.

* * *

The sound of footsteps caught my attention, and I saw Sakura and Tazuna running towards me.

"What is that?" Tazuna asked, referencing me I bet.

As they got closer, Sakura pulled a kunai out and held it up, "Get away from him!" she yelled, swinging the kunai.

I moved out of the way, only for Sakura to hit me square in the head, with her fist.

"Ow, Damnit Sakura!" I growled. "That really hurt."

"What are you?" she asked, cradling Sasuke's head in her arms.

I took the fabric of my headband in my teeth and pulled off of my neck, slamming it down in front of her. I then kicked up the water behind me, then spitting more from my mouth, mimicking my 'Raging Waves' jutsu, creating a wall behind me, for only an instant.

And from the look on her face, Sakura saw what I wanted her to see, the real me in the reflection. "If I could do the mirror jutsu, I would, just so you could get a better visual." I said.

Sakura looked in the metal plate of my headband, and saw my face facing her own. "Kristin?" she asked. "But how?"

"I'll get to the full story later, but basically this is my demon alter-ego form." I summarized. "With my last bit of strength, I took control, but I don't know how to change back, so I've just been, laying here." I looked at Sasuke, and tried to hold my tears back.

"So he's…" Sakura said weakly.

I simply nodded my head, lowering it.

Sakura gasped and laid Sasuke's head back down on the ground. She looked his body over, holding back her tears. She then placed one of her hands on his cheek.

"No, it's not a genjutsu trick." I told her, shooting down the last hope she probably had.

"Go on, you girls don't have to be brave on my account." Tazuna told us.

Sakura and I were a little distant, I kept my feelings in for the moment.

"I was the best. Aced every test at the Academy, the perfect student." Sakura said. She was though. Sakura and I were on par when it came to academic grades, but it was in field training where my marks were a bit higher, but I wasn't embarrassed to admit that Sakura was smarter than I was.

"Did you know that there are over one hundred principles of Shinobi Conduct?" Sakura asked Tazuna. "I memorized every single one. I loved it when they tested us on them, it gave me the chance to show how smart I was."

My ears dropped, I knew exactly where this was going. My eyes filled with tears, as Sakura explained Shinobi Principle #25.

"The twenty-fifth principle." I muttered, lowering my head. "A shinobi never shows his feelings, no matter what the circumstances. Feelings are a weakness, that cloud his judgment and weaken his sense of duty."

Sakura wept into Sasuke's chest, gripping the fabric of his shirt. Her shoulders heaved and she cried, letting her emotions out. Seeing her cry, made the tears I was holding back spill over. I placed my paw over Sasuke's heart…and I threw my head up and let out a mournful howl, letting the tears fall from my eyes and hit the concrete below. My breathed heaved but I let the howl go on for as long as I could, my own way of screaming, and mourning the loss of one of my best friends, someone I've known my entire life it seemed.

Images from my past of the four of us together raced across my mind, which made me cry harder, nearly sobbing.

* * *

The sounds of metal scraping against each other caught my attention. I lifted my paw and grabbed the kunai knife Sakura had dropped.

"What are you gonna do Kristin?" Tazuna asked me.

I slanted my eyes and bared my fangs, "Kill the one person on this bridge that deserves it." I growled. "I've sat on the sidelines long enough. Sakura may be the smartest person on this team, but I've had private training with my father for years. It's high time I put that into play here and now."

I cast a glance back at Sakura, my heart constricted, but I had to do this. I leaned my snout close to Sasuke's cheek and nuzzled it, _"This is for you, Sasuke. I'm sorry I wasn't there to have your back like I promised I would. I hope this could make up for it."_

My eyes found Zabuza and my dad. Now I know my dad said Zabuza was his battle, but I needed to throw this anger at someone, and Zabuza was the perfect target. I gripped the kunai in my teeth, braced myself, and charged ahead. Now I realized what the phrase 'seeing red' really meant. My entire vision was glazed over in red. I could still make out images of people, and my mind was clear just enough to distinguish Zabuza from my father, making this the perfect state of mind. To kill that which threatens those I love and care about.

I had already lost my best friend on this mission, I wasn't going to loose my father as well. He may be my sensei, but I'm not his only daughter. I promised my little sister, Kallera, that dad and I would come home safely, and I intend to keep that promise.

* * *

Zabuza swung his blade at my dad, and that's when I struck him. I plunged the kunai knife into his left arm, digging it deep into the tender muscles there. The swordsman screamed in pain, and I liked the sound.

"Kristin?" dad breathed.

"What the hell is that?" Zabuza cursed.

I flipped over him and took a protective stance in front of my father. My fangs were bared and I snarled at him, glaring daggers. "You swing that blade at my father again, and I will tear your head off!" I growled.

"Father?" Zabuza repeated.

"Kristin, I told you to stay out of this fight." dad reminded.

"No, you told Naruto that." I rebuked. "Besides, I've been sidelined long enough." I looked at my dad, "My best friend is dead, and I couldn't do anything. So if you think I'm going to stand by and run the risk of loosing my father, the only parent I have left, then you've gone senile."

"So, that brat with the duel hair, is your brat, eh Kakashi?" Zabuza said.

I snarled, "Who are you calling a brat you psychotic bastard." I stepped forward, fangs bared.

My dad sighed, "Might as well, since you won't be alive much longer, not if she's taken this form." he said. "Yes, Kristin is my daughter, one of them."

"Well, a family that fights together, dies together." Zabuza growled.

I moved out of the way and dad punched him in the jaw. I moved around and latched onto Zabuza's shoulder, digging my fangs into the deltoid muscle. With what little strength, Zabuza tossed me aside.

* * *

I was sent skidding across the bridge, right next to Haku's corpse. Or, so I thought corpse. When I moved to get back up, something grabbed my hind leg, only for me to see it was Haku. He was barely alive.

"My dad averted the attack last second, striking a couple of inches to the right." I noted.

Haku coughed, blood ran from his mouth, "Kristin…kill me…" he rasped. "End the…pain I'm…in."

I gasped, turning so I was looming over him. His eyes were pleading with me. "I can't." I said.

"Please…kill me…" he begged again. "I'm in…so much…pain…please…" he coughed up more blood.

I could tell he was in pain, so I caved. I slowly lowered my snout to his neck, opening my mouth slightly. "I'm sorry." I apologized. "Forgive me." and then I bit down in the nape of his neck, crushing the collarbone, and nicking the vein near it.

"Thank…you…" Haku rasped. And then, he died.

I pulled away and panted, spitting the blood out. The taste of it reminded me of the nightmare I had, but it was exactly how I dreamed as well. It was warm and sweet, and sticky.

I shook my head and jumped away, looking back. "I'm sorry Haku, please forgive me for that. But I hope you're happy, wherever you are." I bowed my head and ran back to my dad, only to find him behind Zabuza.

* * *

"You have no idea, what real strength is," my dad said.

Zabuza swung his sword back, aiming to bisect my dad, but I jumped in the way. I bit down on his shoulder, sinking my fangs in as deep as I could, and raking my claws down his arm, making him swing his sword far away from him.

I flipped around and landed next to my dad. "Now both of your arms are useless." dad said.

"What now Zabuza?" I asked, gently wagging my tail. "You can't even make hand signs." I snickered, as my best friend Shikamaru would say, "Checkmate." Or so I thought.

Someone cleared his throat, diverting out attention. He stood at the opposite end of the bridge, the unfinished part. He was a short man with light brown hair and he wore a business suit and sunglasses. Behind him was a group of thugs, ready to attack.

"They did quite a number on you, didn't the Zabuza?" he asked, chuckling. "You look like yesterday's sashimi. I can say, I am a little, disappointed."

I have no idea who he was, but my instincts told me he was bad news.

* * *

**A/N: **Almost done with the Land of Waves Arc, yay! So the next chapter will be the end of the arc, and then the action of the Chunin Exams can begin! So I hope you all will review this chapter, and are looking forward to more^^ Let me know.

XOXO~Cyber


	18. The Dmons in the Snow

**The Demons in the Snow.**

* * *

I moved to get back up, but something grabbed my hind leg, only for me to see it was Haku. He was barely alive.

"My dad averted the attack last second, striking a couple of inches to the right." I noted.

Haku coughed, blood ran from his mouth, "Kristin…kill me…" he rasped. "End the…pain I'm…in."

I gasped, turning so I was looming over him. His eyes were pleading with me. "I can't." I said.

"Please…kill me…" he begged again. "I'm in…so much…pain…please…" he coughed up more blood.

I could tell he was in pain, so I caved. I slowly lowered my snout to his neck, opening my mouth slightly. "I'm sorry." I apologized. "Forgive me." and then I bit down in the nape of his neck, crushing the collarbone, and nicking the vein near it.

"Thank…you…" Haku rasped. And then, he died.

I pulled away and panted, spitting the blood out. The taste of it reminded me of the nightmare I had, but it was exactly how I dreamed as well. It was warm and sweet, and sticky.

I shook my head and jumped away, looking back. "I'm sorry Haku, please forgive me for that. But I hope you're happy, wherever you are." I bowed my head and ran back to my dad, only to find him behind Zabuza.

"You have no idea, what real strength is," my dad said.

Zabuza swung his sword back, aiming to bisect my dad, but I jumped in the way. I bit down on his shoulder, sinking my fangs in as deep as I could, and raking my claws down his arm, making him swing his sword far away from him.

I flipped around and landed next to my dad. "Now both of your arms are useless." dad said.

"What now Zabuza?" I asked, gently wagging my tail. "You can't even make hand signs." I snickered, as my best friend Shikamaru would say, "Checkmate." Or so I thought.

Someone cleared his throat, diverting out attention. He stood at the opposite end of the bridge, the unfinished part. He was a short man with light brown hair and he wore a business suit and sunglasses. Behind him was a group of thugs, ready to attack.

"They did quite a number on you, didn't the Zabuza?" he asked, chuckling. "You look like yesterday's sashimi. I can say, I am a little, disappointed."

I have no idea who he was, but my instincts told me he was bad news. I took a protective stance, ready to attack should any of them come near me or my dad.

"Easy Kristin." dad said softly, placing his hand on my head, rubbing the fur.

I growled fiercely, baring my fangs at the thugs.

* * *

"Gatō, what are you doing here?" Zabuza asked, annoyed.

I cocked my head to the side, _"That's Gatō?" _I thought. That short, little man was supposedly the one threatening the villagers, and the one who hired Zabuza? Now things seemed really messed up, and the vibe I got from him, made me shiver.

"Well, there has been a change of plans." Gatō said. "And according to the new plan, you die right here on this bridge Zabuza." he chuckled. "See, you're too expensive, so I've decided to take you off the payroll. But even these thugs cost something so if you could manage to slaughter a few of them before they take you out, I'd appreciate it."

I snarled, so this guy is nothing but a backstabbing rat. My claws came out, and I was ready to attack, but my dad gripped my shoulder.

"This is not our fight, stay out of it." he ordered.

"But dad-" I said, looking in his eyes. I froze, he was glaring at me, the same glare when he meant something in total seriousness.

My ears flattened and I lowered my head, submitting. Dad gently rubbed the fur on my shoulder, which was matted with blood since it's the one I landed on when Zabuza flung me.

From what Gatō had just said, Zabuza was pretty ticked off. "Well Kakashi, it seems our fight is at an end." he said. "Since I am not longer in Gatō's employ, Tazuna's safe, we have no quarrel."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." dad agreed.

"_So that means I don't get to kill anyone?" _Helena bantered. _"Damn, I got screwed over on this mission, I thought I was going to have a little fun."_

I snarled, _"I agree, someone has to pay for Sasuke's death, and I think Gatō is the perfect person."_

* * *

Said tycoon approached us, and I noticed he had a cast on his left arm. He stopped at Haku's body, and smirked. "That reminds me, you little punk, you nearly broke my arm." well, that explains the cast. "I've been meaning to repay you for that."

If my dad hadn't been next to me, I would've charged at Gatō and torn him apart. I even tried, only dad held me back by gripping my shoulder tighter, but I moved a couple of inches in front of him, snarling.

Gatō looked at me, then back at Haku's body. "You leaf shinobi should really keep those ninja mutts of yours on leashes, they could really injure somebody." he chuckled. "This little punk has part of his neck bitten, and the marks look deep." Gatō looked back at me, "Good little dog, saves me the trouble of getting my hands dirty."

"You didn't even cross my mind!" I growled. "I just ended the pain he was in, and if you touch him again, I swear I will rip you apart."

Gatō smirked and pressed his cane into Haku's face, grinning.

"Get away from him!" Naruto yelled, running forward, only for sensei to catch him and hold him back.

"You're just gonna let him do that?" Naruto asked Zabuza. "Have him be treated like some sort of dog."

"Shut up boy." Zabuza barked. "Haku's dead, what does it matter?"

Naruto growled. "That's it, you don't care at all. You and Haku were together for years, doesn't that mean anything? If that's how you really feel, you're worse off than I thought."

"Easy Naruto." dad said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "He's not the enemy, not now anyway."

Naruto shrugged my dad's hand off and on instinct I growled and stood defensively in front of him, giving a few warning growls.

"As far as I'm concerned, he's enemy number one!" Naruto yelled. "You ungrateful bastard, Haku lived for you! You were most important thing in the world to him. And you're saying he meant nothing to you!" he ranted. "And if I become stronger, does that mean that I'll be as cold hearted as you are? Haku threw his life away, for you and your dream! You never let him have a dream of his own, he only cared about you."

Even I could feel the tears welling up, and I just let them fall. Naruto may be an idiot, and not the sharpest kunai in the set, but, when it came to things like this, he had a way of getting through to people.

"_Maybe he's not the dummy everyone makes him out to be." _Helena said.

I sniffled and sighed, "I guess not." I said aloud.

Dad rubbed the side of my neck, and I turned to face him. The next thing I did, made me look more like a puppy, which I guess I was. I nuzzled my snout against my dad's neck, and he rubbed the side of my face, wiping the tears that fell. To anyone else, it may have looked weird for a renowned ninja to be like this with a wolf demon, but it was just my way of being comforted by my father. My tail gently moved back and forth.

"You talk too much." Zabuza said to Naruto.

I glanced at him and saw small droplets fall at his feet. To everyone's astonishment, Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Hidden Mist, was crying.

"You're words cut deep, deeper than any blade." Zabuza went on. "While he fought you, his heart was breaking in two. See Haku was always too soft and too kind. He felt pain and sorrow, and now, curse him, I feel them too."

Zabuza removed the bandages covering his face. "Boy, toss me your kunai."

Naruto complied and Zabuza caught it in his teeth. Then he charged straight for Gatō and his thugs, slashing at them with the kunai blade. Although the thugs could be classified as collateral because Zabuza's true target was Gatō himself, and that punk ass pipsqueak got what he deserved, a one way trip to Hell.

"_Okay, that was kind of cool." _Helena said.

I blinked and gaped. "Wow."

* * *

Only Zabuza didn't get away scot-free, he had bladed shoved into his back, making him look almost like a porcupine. And from the damage he had already taken from dad and me, plus those blades, I had a feeling Zabuza was breathing his final breaths. The thugs all split and let Zabuza walk right past them. He only managed a few steps, before collapsing.

Naruto and I turned our heads. "Don't turn away you two." dad said. "When you live like a warrior, this is how it all ends."

I sniffled. "So, dad you're saying that all of us shinobi are gonna die like that?" I asked. I sat down and closed my eyes. "That's just messed up." tears fell from my eyes.

I lifted my left paw off the ground, licking at it, trying to alleviate the pain I was now feeling. Due to my adrenaline rushing during the fight, pain was the last thing on my mind. Now that everything has died down, I knew the fact that my left arm was probably broken due to the fall I suffered.

"Hey Naruto! Kristin!" Sakura called.

We both turned around and saw her waving at us. "Look, he's alive! Sasuke's alright!"

I gasped, but it was true. Sasuke stood up and just lifted his hand, nonchalantly, as usual. I smiled and giggled, _"So everything worked out after all I guess." _it was a miracle.

"But how?" I looked back at Haku, then I remembered Zabuza's words. 'While he fought you, his heart was breaking in two'. _"He never meant to kill anyone, all along." _

"Well, will wonders ever cease?" dad asked, looking back at Sakura, Sasuke, and Tazuna. "Amazing."

* * *

One of the thugs tapped his kendo pole on the ground, "Have you forgotten about us?" he asked. "Now that Gatō's gone, who's gonna pay us?"

"_Great, now we got this band of bozos to deal with." _I groaned.

"_Maybe we can have a little fun after all." _Helena chuckled.

I smiled in agreement. The thugs charged for us so I stood tall, I visualized the hand signs for one of my techniques, _"Dragon-Tiger-Hare." _"Water Style: Raging Waves!" I spat a massive amount of water, only for it not to have the power I wanted it to.

"What was that?" Naruto asked.

"Damn. I must not have enough chakra for a stronger wave." I muttered. "I was aiming to sweep them off the bridge, guess not."

The thugs pressed on, only to be stopped when a small arrow landed right at their feet. All of us turned to see the entire village standing at the opposite end of the bridge, ready to fight. Inari, Tazuna's grandson, was leading the group.

The young boy smiled, "Heroes usually show up at the last minute, you know." he chuckled.

The thugs seemed of edge, contemplating their plan. To add to the defensive numbers, Naruto executed the 'Shadow Clone' jutsu, freaking out the thugs.

"I think I have a little chakra left." Dad muttered, making the same seal, "Shadow Clone Jutsu, Kakashi style" soon a dozen or so clones of my father appeared.

"Okay that's way too many dads for me, but I'm not missing out on this." I smiled. I placed my paws together and concentrated, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" more clones of me, as the wolf demon appeared.

"Still want to fight?" we all asked in unison, baring our fangs. Now the thugs were beyond scared. "It's an all you can eat buffet, dinner time!" we all chided, and my clones charged forward, chasing the thugs off the bridge.

I sat next my father and giggled, "Maybe this isn't so bad after all." I said. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership." my tail wagged back and forth, and my ears twitched excitedly.

My dad sighed next to me, placing an arm around my furry neck, "You are defiantly my child." he said.

"So now you claim me." I giggled.

"I just hope your sister is more sane than you when she becomes a ninja." dad sighed.

I laughed, "Dream on." I rebuked, "You know Kallera is a lot more crazy than me, so if anything, I'm the sane daughter. I'm just having a bit of fun." I smiled and very puppy-ish smile, with my tail wagging.

* * *

Sounds of screaming and splashing sounded as the thugs jumped over the edge of bridge, falling into the water below. We all cheered at the victory over Gatō and his thugs, the villagers were finally free from his control and Tazuna could finish building the bridge. Which, for us, Squad Seven, our mission was a complete success.

"_I think I'm going to enjoy this." _Helena chuckled. _"Your team seems alright, for a bunch of rookies anyway." _

I smiled, and, now that I think about it, maybe the seal breaking this early wasn't such a bad thing. I guess I only made it sound so bad was because I was afraid of what I didn't know, which was practically everything about Helena. But this might just be okay, I could learn more about her, and in return, she could get a taste of life, but with me controlling every move.

"_Partners?" _I asked her, hoping she would agree.

She sighed. _"What the hell, it's not like I've really got a choice now." _

I'll take that as a yes then, good.

* * *

My attention turned to my dad, who was carrying Zabuza's body. As he walked towards Haku's body, it began to snow. A small flake landed on my nose, causing me to look up. _"Snow, at this time of year?" _I questioned.

"_It reminds me of my home."_ Helena mused.

My dad laid Zabuza's body next to Haku's and walked over to us, leaving them alone.

"He told me, that where he came from it was always snowing." Naruto said, crying.

I chuckled, "Of course. Haku's spirit was as pure as the snow." I let the tears fall, walking a couple steps forward.

Dad placed his hand on my head, "I think you know what to do." he looked at me, and smiled.

I nodded and sighed, sniffling. I closed my eyes and threw my head up and howled, as loud and as long as I could. As my howl died down, I sunk to the ground and as I opened my eyes, I saw my paws turn back hands, and the crimson markings were gone, I was back to normal.

My dad placed his hand on my shoulder, and helped me stand up. I looked up in his eye, "Think they'll be together again?" I asked him.

Dad glanced at the two fallen shinobi. "Yes, I believe so sweetie."

More tears welled up in my eyes. I threw my good arm around my dad's waist and cried into his chest, letting out my remaining tears. "Daddy." I whimpered, taking shaky breaths.

Dad rubbed my hair, which was down since the transformation. It fell past my kneecaps and was probably matted and tangled. "Since this mission, you've grown up, gotten stronger." he said. He kissed the top of my head, and wrapped me in his arms, hugging me, "My little girl, I'm so proud of you."

I smiled, "I love you daddy." I cried.

"I love you too Kristin." dad replied, rubbing my back.

Maybe having my father as my Jonin-sensei wasn't such a bad thing after all. I think this mission brought us closer, and I'm proud to be a Hatake Kunoichi.

"_Did you see mom? Grandpa?" _I asked. _"I completed my first real mission away from home. I hope I've made you both proud, and all the past shinobi from our clan as well."_

* * *

At sunset, my team and I made two resting places for Zabuza on the outskirts of the village. Zabuza's blade marked one, and a wooden cross with Haku's headband marked the other.

"Is that really it Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, "Is that the ninja way, to use and be used by people like tools?" she stood up and walked over, standing next to Sasuke.

"Shinobi are all used like tools in the hand of destiny." dad answered. "There's really no point in saying if it's right or wrong, it just is. It's the same in the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

"Well if that's what being a ninja is really all about, something's out of whack." Naruto said. "Is that why we go through all this training, just to end up like them?"

"What's the reason for that?" Sasuke asked.

I nodded, "Yeah. What's the reason for training so hard if all it will get us is killed doing someone else's dirty work?"

My dad sighed. "Well, that's a question without an answer." he admitted. "And that's something we ninja have to deal with every dad of our lives. Like Zabuza, and the kid."

I looked at the graves and sighed, wondering if that was the future I had as well, only I would have a headstone in the Hatake Family Shrine cemetery, and my picture inside the shrine itself, right next to my father's. Death was always the outcome when your time came, I just never knew it would end up being like this. It can happen anytime in the line of duty, it was just a matter of time.

"Okay, I've come to a decision!" Naruto blurted out. "From now on, I'm following my own ninja way, a way that is straight and true and without any regrets." he added on. "From now on, I'm following the way of Naruto."

We all gasped and chuckled lightly. _"When Naruto sets his mind to something, there's no stopping him." _I giggled.

"_I just hope his way doesn't get us all killed." _Helena grumbled.

* * *

A week later, the bridge was finished. The next day, we all packed up our things and were ready to head on home. The bridge was beautiful, Tazuna even had two statues of a wolf built and they rested on both sides of the bridges archway, symbolizing Helena's rebirth on that bridge, that's what Tazuna told me anyway.

"I can't thank the five of you enough." Tazuna said. "We're all going to miss you."

"Now, don't get all choked up, we'll come back and visit real soon." Naruto smiled.

"You swear?" Inari asked, on the verge of tears.

"_You shouldn't say stuff like that Naruto, who knows when we'll be traveling this way again." _I thought.

The looks Inari and Naruto had looked like they were having a contest on who was going to start crying first. Naruto turned his back and let it all out, as well as Inari.

"_Good grief." _Helena grumbled. _"Naruto is such an idiot."_

I rolled my eyes.

"Well then, we're off." dad said.

We waved goodbye as we walked along the bride, heading to the mainland where a boat was going to take us back to the Land of Fire, where our village was located.

"When I get back I'm gonna have Iruka-sensei fix me up a whole mess of Ramen to celebrate a mission accomplished." Naruto chuckled. "And I'm gonna tell Konohamaru about all my adventures, the kid's gonna worship me."

"Hey Sasuke, maybe when we get back you wanna do something together?" Sakura asked.

"I don't think so." Sasuke replied, shooting Sakura down.

"Sakura, I'd do something with you if you want." Naruto suggested.

"That was a private conversation!" Sakura yelled, hitting Naruto over the head.

I giggled and turned to Sasuke, "So, would you instead want to go to BBQ place with me, Shikamaru and Choji?" I asked him. "We could brag about how we helped take down the infamous 'Demon of the Hidden Mist'." I added, smiling.

"Sounds okay." Sasuke replied.

"And how you ended up looking like a hedgehog with all those senbon in your body." I giggled.

"Oh, so says the girl who can now shift into a jet black wolf who could rip us apart." Sasuke rebuked.

"Hey!" I protested. "I may look threatening, but that doesn't mean anything. I'm really as cuddly as a puppy."

"_Speak for yourself!" _Helena protested. _"You're giving me a whole different reputation! I'm a vicious demon who killed an entire unit of elite ninja when they attacked my home! I ripped them apart, soaking the snow in blood!"_

I tuned her out and turned to my dad. "Daddy, think you can teach me the Lightning Blade?" I asked.

"Not just yet, try to get more water jutsus down first." dad answered, placing his hand on my shoulder.

I sulked, "Okay fine." I caved.

The mission to the Land of Waves surely made us stronger, and I'm glad we all got out alive. After that mission, I don't think there's anything that we can't handle. It was going to be an interesting time, being on Squad Seven. I can say this much, no mission is ever going to be boring.

* * *

Next time…

Okay after the Land of Waves mission, I thought things would get a little better with the whole 'teamwork' thing, not likely. Instead we go through more training and it doesn't help at all. And to top it all off, my team and I come across three shinobi who aren't from our village. What could they be here for?

Next time: A New Chapter Begins: The Chūnin Exam!

* * *

**A/N: **Well it's done, the Land of Waves arc is finished! I really hope you all enjoyed it and are ready for some more action, adventure, and a lot more of Squad Seven as they take on the challenges that are the Chūnin Exam. This arc is my favorite of the Cannon arcs of the _Naruto_ anime series. But since, the story is told through the eyes of Kristin, some episodes will be cut short and combined with others, or may not be added at all, just giving you a heads up^^ Review and tell me what you think and the next chapter should be up soon!

XOXO~Cyber


	19. A New Chapter Begins

**A New Chapter Begins: The Chūnin Exam!**

**A/N: **Well faithful readers, here it is, the first chapter of the Chūnin Exam arc of the story! Get ready as squad seven embarks on an exam that truly tests them to their limits, both as a team and individually. Hope you enjoy^^

XOXO~Cyber

* * *

We've been backing the village for a week now since the Land of Waves mission, and since then we've been mainly doing more D-rank assignments. They weren't that bad, although Naruto kept constantly overdoing everything, and as for the teamwork, not exactly any better.

Today makes it a week exactly since we got back. The sun's rays poured through my window, illuminating my bedroom. I rubbed my eyes, and yawned and stretched my arms and legs.

"Another beautiful day in the village." I sighed happily, looking out of my window.

"_You know, normal girls aren't like that in the morning." _Helena groaned.

Since my seal's breaking, I've been seeing Helena in my reflection and she's gotten a lot more vocal about her opinions, since now we share the same body, but we each have our own spirit.

"Well, I'm not a normal girl, am I?" I raised my eyebrow in my mirror. Helena folded her arms and rolled her eyes.

* * *

I grabbed my black robe with pink polka dots and went down the stairs to the dining area.

"Good morning sissy." Kallera greeted me.

I smiled at my sister and grabbed the orange juice from the fridge, pouring me a glass. "Hey Kal." I replied, putting the juice back in the fridge.

"So, do you have any new missions today?" she asked. Ever since I got back from the Land of Waves, Kallera always asks me about my missions, before I leave and when I come home.

"Well, that is a question for dad, not me." I told her, pouring me some cereal for breakfast.

"I would ask dad, but he isn't here." Kallera said. "He left before I got up."

I nearly choked, "Dad's not here?"

Kallera shook her head.

I smiled, "Well, he might actually be on time for our team meeting." I said, eating my cereal.

I sat opposite my sister at the kitchen table and we continued eating. After, I changed into my usual outfit and said goodbye to my sister. Of course, when I was ready to leave, she told me that she was spending the day with her friends Iris and Taio, so I had to grab my set of house keys to lock up home.

"Have fun on your mission!" Kallera called as she walked away from the house, with Iris and Taio on either side of her.

I waved back, blew her a kiss, locked the door, and continued towards the bridge, which is where we've been meeting since we got back.

* * *

When I got there, Sasuke and Sakura were already waiting.

"Morning Kris." Sakura greeted.

"Hey Sakura." I replied. I stood next to Sasuke and hopped on the railing of the bridge, swinging my feet back and forth gently.

"You might accidentally fall off you know." Sasuke bereted.

I giggled. "You even try and push me, and I'll drag you to the bottom." I threatened, smiling.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and leaned against the railing. Ever since we got back from the Land of Waves, he's been more, how can I say this, more moody lately. The three of us waited on our fourth teammate, Naruto, and our sensei, Kakashi Hatake, my father.

Rapid footsteps approached and Naruto joined us, catching his breath.

"Good morning Sakura." he greeted, "Kristin." I gave him a slight nod. Naruto then looked at Sasuke, and the two glared at each other.

I sighed, _"Here we go again." _I sighed.

"_It's like being stuck with a couple of children." _Helena compared,

* * *

The four of us waited another hour or so when my dad finally showed up. I wonder what his excuse was this time.

"Hey guys, good morning." he greeted, even though it was ten o'clock. "Sorry I'm late, I'm afraid I got lost on the path of life."

I smirked and rolled my eyes, _"Sure dad."_

"_Think he went to visit, oh what's her name? His girlfriend?" _Helena asked.

"_Oh, Konoha-sensei." _I answered. She was a very nice woman, her team are three girls who are ninja prodigies, and they are really kind. I've only met her once or twice, and that was when dad had invited her over for dinner once, when I was still in the Academy. Her team of girls are the same age as me, but they graduated the Academy early due to their skill level.

"_Yeah her. Think they…you know…" _Helena suggested,

I mentally gagged. _"Eww gross! No!"_ I recoiled.

"I'm ready for the next ninja mission sensei!" Naruto said. "And no more of this dumb beginner stuff, I'm ready for a real mission! I gotta get out there and burn it up!"

He was getting so excited that he almost was literally on fire.

"_Oh brother." _Helena and I sighed.

Dad chuckled, "Okay I get it Naruto. Just take it east okay?"

Naruto shot a glare at Sasuke and took a stance that almost looked like he was ready to fight. His eyes were so blank that he looked out of it.

The four of us walked ahead, and Naruto was still standing where he was.

"Let us know when your done fantasizing Naruto so we can start the mission alright." dad called.

"Oh sorry." Naruto apologized, catching up with us.

"Could you not be so annoying Naruto? Just this once?" Sakura groaned.

* * *

Our first D-Rank mission of the day was to help some elderly woman de-weed her garden. Of course, Naruto being who he was, was trying to outdo all of us and ended up, not only pulling all the weeds, but the herbs in her garden as well. That earned him a beating over the head with her broom.

"What a moron." Sakura complained.

"You said it, sister." I agreed.

The next mission was to pick up the trash in the river, so we got right to it. Although, while we were doing all the work, dad was laying underneath a tree reading his favorite book, _Make-Out Paradise_. I used this mission as an opportunity to use my ;walking on water' technique, just to get a little training done. Anyway, Naruto messed this one up by slipping and nearly falling down the waterfall, only to be saved by Sasuke.

Our third mission of the day, dog walking. There were four dogs, and Naruto chose the biggest one there was, while Sasuke and Sakura took the two smaller ones, and I chose the medium sized dog. Of course, biggest dog had a mind of his own and Naruto couldn't control him at all.

"What a looser." Sasuke huffed.

"He just had to choose the biggest dog." I sighed.

The dog led Naruto through a hole in a fence, right into a mine field used for training purposes. He set off every mine and were heard him scream in pain as each one went off.

The three of us sighed in annoyance, he never learns at all. There was only one thing I was sure of, that dad got a pretty good laugh at Naruto's constant stupidity.

* * *

Our missions were done for the day so we were walking back to the Academy to turn the repot in, Sasuke and Sakura were supporting Naruto's weight, while I walked in between Sakura and Kakashi-sensei.

"Look at him." Sakura said.

I sighed, "You're hopeless Naruto." I added.

Sasuke smirked, "You really are just one big problem."

Naruto groaned. "Sasuke!" he prepared to lung at him, only for me and Sakura to block him.

"If you keep this up, I'll finish you off myself!" Sakura yelled.

My dad sighed and looked down at me. "Guess we're not making much progress on the teamwork thing huh?" he asked.

I crossed my arms over my chest, "Gee, what gave it away sensei?" I flipped my ponytail back and sighed.

"That's right our teamwork is all screwed up all because of Sasuke." Naruto said. "Hw thinks he's better than everyone else!"

"Not everyone, just you." Sasuke corrected, walking off. "Face it, I'm stronger and faster than you are, it's a fact." he stopped and turned to face us. "Unless you have what it takes to prove me wrong."

The two boys stared at each other, preparing to fight. Sakura just stood by casting back and forth glances.

I sighed,_ "They're actually getting along worse than before." _I groaned.

Dad sighed next to me, "Alright, let's call it a day." he said. "You can beat each other to a pulp some other time."

"Fine by me, later." Sasuke said, walking off.

Dad placed his hand on my shoulder as Sakura chased after Sasuke. "Make sure they don't kill each other while I'm gone."

"Where are you going?" I asked him, slightly upset he's dumping them on me.

"I have to turn in the mission reports." dad answered. "I'll see you for dinner, it's your turn to cook." Dad shut his book.

"Gee, thanks." I grumbled.

"I love you." dad smiled and disappeared.

"_Love you too, you sly old fox." _I huffed.

* * *

"Where's dad off too in such a hurry?" Kallera asked, walking up to me.

"He's gonna turn our mission reports in and is going to do something else until dinner." I answered, rubbing my temples. "Just because I'm the sensei's daughter, that doesn't make me responsible for them." I huffed. "If Shikamaru and Choji were in place of Sakura and Naruto, we wouldn't be having all these problems."

Kallera and her friends looked at my team, and saw Sakura sulking where she stood while Sasuke walked off. "Shot down again." I sighed.

"Ouch." Iris said.

"Again, if I had the others on my team that would never happen either." I added.

"Can you ask for a team transfer or something?" Taio asked.

I huffed, "The Third shot me down for that."

"Well, you would still have fights, just not the one's you're thinking of sis." Kallera rebuked.

"And what fights would we have?" I asked her.

"Just two certain boys whose names start with the same letter fighting over…you." she answered in a sing-song voice.

"Are you kidding me!" I yelled, glaring at my sister.

"_Ha! I love your sister!" _Helena chuckled.

"That is never gonna happen!" I exclaimed. I felt heat rush to my cheeks.

There is no way that would ever happen, best friends never date, it just makes it awkward.

Kallera raised her eyebrow. She made half of a heart with her hand, "This represents 'K', for 'Kristin'." she said.

Iris made the other half with her hand, "And this represents 'S', for either 'Sasuke' or 'Shikamaru'."

I clamped my hands over their mouths, "Shut up!" I yelled.

* * *

A pile of square rocks scurried past us, breaking the argument.

"What the hell?" I asked.

"Five bucks saying it's Konohamaru and his friends." Iris stated.

"'Kay." Taio agreed.

"So sis, why are you blushing?" Kallera asked me.

I huffed and stood straight up, twisting my fingers in my ponytail. I couldn't come up with an answer.

"Come on sis, not matter what you think or say, how much you deny, you know it's true." Kallera went on.

Ever since I was younger and made a habit of hanging out with the guys, Kallera has always teased me about it, saying that I was going to marry one of them one day. Of course, each day she would change the name. One day it would be Sasuke, the next, Shikamaru.

"Whatever-" I was cut off by an explosion of gun powder, and that caused me to cough, as well as Kallera, Taio, and Iris.

Once the smoke cleared, I saw three younger kids. One was a girl with orange hair pulled up in pigtails, one had short brown hair and wore glasses, and the other has spiky brown hair.

"Pay up Taio." Iris said. "I was right, it's Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon."

"Darn." Taio pulled out five dollars and handed it to his cousin.

* * *

I rolled my eyes and walked over to them, with my sister and her friends in two.

"A ninja playing ninja?" Sakura asked. "That is so twisted."

She sulked over to the rest of us, wide eyed at the three runts following Naruto.

"Okay no need to get violent here." I chuckled lightly.

"Who are they boss?" Konohamaru asked Naruto.

"Uh, well they're on my team." Naruto answered, chuckling.

"Oh, hi Kallera." Moegi said, addressing my younger sister.

"Allow me to help." Kallera tapped on Konohamaru's shoulder. She then pointed to me, "This is my older sister, Kristin." she introduced.

"Oh, I kinda see the resemblance." Konohamaru cast glances between me and Kallera. "Yeah, you both have the same bangs."

I sunk my head, _"Wow he's a real genius." _I muttered.

Konohamaru's attention drifted towards Sakura. He then got a coy smile and tugged on Naruto's sleeve, "You're a smooth operator boss." he said. "I get it she's-" referring to Sakura, "your girlfriend" he smiled and held up his pinky.

"Well she is kinda crazy about me." Naruto lied.

"As if!" Sakura yelled, punching Naruto square in the face.

I jumped back and stared, wide-eyed, _"Great, this is just the fight I wanted to get caught in the middle of." _I was really beginning to hate my life right about now.

Konohamaru made a smart-ass remark and Sakura gave him a beating too.

"Man, the only time I ever see someone that angry is when you call Choji fa-" Kallera began to say, before I clamped my hand over her mouth.

"Do not finish that statement, he'll hear you no matter where he is." I advised. I knew Choji, and Kallera did have a point. If anyone says the f-a-t word or anything along that line, Choji goes out of control and goes on a rampage. Shikamaru, Sasuke, and I have declared f-a-t as a taboo word around or concerning Choji.

Sakura huffed and stormed off in the other direction, leaving Naruto and Konohamaru laying on the pathway.

"Why am I the only one with any self control on my team?" I wondered aloud.

"You didn't have much self control when Naruto insulted you during Genin Orientation." Iris pointed out.

I lowered my head, _"Right, well, he had it coming." _I defended. "I think I'm just gonna take you guys home now."

Just as I was about to turn away, Konohamaru mentioned Sakura's wide forehead, and that spun her on a path of destruction. Mentioning that is just as bad as saying the taboo word around Choji.

Naruto and the youngsters tried to run away, only for Konohamaru to bump into another ninja, not from our village.

* * *

I joined Naruto, with Kallera and Iris on one side of me and Taio on the other. The two ninja were a girl and a boy, and they looked a couple of years older than us. One was a girl with blonde hair pulled into four, short, spiky ponytails, green eyes, and wore an off-shoulder purple dress that reached to her thighs, with a fishnet top underneath and fishnet leg warmers on her right calf and left thigh, and a forehead protector around her neck. She also wore a red sash, which held her tessen fan.

The other ninja was male and he wore a black, baggy, full body suit with a red and yellow circle on the front, a black hood with small cat-like ears coming from the top and silver plate sown into the hood. He also wore triangular-like face paint designs and had dark eyes. On his back was something wrapped in bandages, that didn't have a distinct shape. Both his plate and the girls had a symbol that looked like an hourglass with a thin rectangle above it.

Kallera gulped next to me, "Sis, who are they?" she asked.

"Hell if I know." I answered. "They're not from the Hidden Leaf, that's all I know."

The male ninja reached down and grabbed Konohamaru by his scarf, holding him in a semi-chokehold.

"Does this hurt, punk?" he asked.

"The whole thing was my fault." Sakura admitted. "I'm sorry."

The female ninja sighed, "Put him down Kankurō." she ordered.

"Put him down right now!" Naruto ordered.

I sighed, he doesn't know when to keep his big mouth shut.

The male ninja, known as Kankurō, smirked. "We have a couple of minutes before he gets here, let's mess with these punks a little bit." he tightened his grip on Konohamaru's scarf.

"Hey, cut it out." Konohamaru whimpered. "It hurts."

Naruto charged for Kankurō, "Put him down now!" he looked like he was going to land a punch, but something happened and he was thrown back towards us.

"_How the hell did that happen?" _I asked.

"_The cat guy moved his fingers before Naruto tripped. I think that may have been one of his techniques." _Helena informed.

"So you all are Leaf Genin?" Kankurō snickered. "What a bunch of wimps."

"There outsiders from somewhere." Iris noted.

"Yeah, but what are they doing here?" Kallera asked.

"Judging by the symbol on their headbands, they're from Sunagakure." Taio informed.

Sunagakure, the Village Hidden in the Sand. That village is located in the Land of Wind. Why would these two shinobi travel that far distance to come here? It didn't make any sense.

Naruto was growing angrier and angrier. He jumped back up and pointed a finger at the two Suna ninja, "Put him down or I'll rip you apart!" Naruto threatened. "You got that fool?"

Sakura strangled Naruto, "You're the fool, starting a fight isn't going to help things Naruto!" she yelled.

Yeah, if this keeps up, I'm going to die on my next major mission. I mentally sighed and pushed off my two teammates' immense idiocy.

"You're annoying." Kankurō said, bluntly. "All of you." he added. "I don't like runts, or any other scrawny weaklings. So when a little punk like this starts shooting off his mouth, I just want to break him in half."

All of gasped as Kankurō glared at us. The female ninja sighed, "Fine." she said. "I'm not involved in any of this, okay."

"First I'll get rid of this squirt, then I'll waste the other one." Kankurō smirked.

Knowing things were about to get ugly, I stepped forward, grabbing the hand he was lifting to punch Konohamaru. "Okay, look there's no need to get violent here." I said, calmly.

Kankurō's eyes met mine and his expression changed. "Well hello there cutie." he said, charmingly. "I guess I didn't see you before."

I blinked, very confused.

"Look, let me just get rid of this little squirt then maybe you can I could, walk together?" he raised and eyebrow and smiled, sliding his arm from my grip.

Helena gagged and I was just too stunned to do anything. But just as Kankurō was going to punch Konohamaru, a pebble came out of nowhere and struck his hand, causing him to drop the kid.

I looked in the direction the pebble came from and saw Sasuke sitting on the tree branch, tossing another pebble in his hand. "You're a long way from home and way outta your league." he said.

"Sasuke!" Sakura yelled giddily.

"Oh great, another wimp to piss me off." Kankurō grumbled, holding his injured hand.

I sighed, _"Nice timing, but I could've handled it." _

Sasuke crushed the pebble in his hand, turning it to dust. Sakura squealed giddily again, and Naruto groaned.

"Hey punk, get down here." Kankurō ordered.

Great, and just when I nearly stopped the first fight going on. Sasuke glared at the opposing Suna ninja.

"You're the kind of punk that pisses me off the most." Kankurō added, "All attitude and nothing to back it up." he took the bandaged thing off of his back.

"What? Are you gonna use the Crow for this?" asked the female Suna ninja.

"Kankurō, back off." came a voice from a new ninja. "You're an embarrassment to our village."

Everyone gasped because he was standing on the bottom half of the tree branch, on the opposite side of the trunk that Sasuke was leaning on. He had red hair, pale eyes, black rings around his eyes, a symbol tattooed on his forehead, I couldn't make out what it was, and had a gourd on his back. And since he said 'our village', he was a Suna ninja as well, and if I had to guess, the third member of Kankurō's genin squad.

Kankurō smiled weakly, his expression changing again. "Hey Garaa." he said.

Whoever he was, something seemed off about him. But then again, this raised the million dollar question, why would a team of genin from the Hidden Sand Village be here in the Hidden Leaf?

* * *

Next time…

**Kristin**: So that's why, I get it now. The Chūnin Selection Exams are getting ready to start, that explains why those three Suna ninja were in the village earlier today. I know about these, if a genin passes these exams, he or she is promoted to the rank of Chūnin, which is the middle class of shinobi. But, I know that they are also very challenging, and that it comes with steep competition. What if I'm not ready for it…what if…

**Kallera**: Hey! Creep, let go! Kristin help! *screams*

**Kristin**: Hey, bastard, get back here with my little sister!

**Shikamaru**: Who the hell is that guy?

**Choji**: And why did he snatch Kallera?

**Kristin**: I don't know and I don't care boys, just help me get my sister back!

Next time…**Identify Yourself: Powerful New Rivals**

**Kristin**: It doesn't matter what I have to do, I'm gonna do anything and everything to pass these exams and become a Chūnin!

* * *

**A/N:** I will also be doing little previews for the next episode, similar to how the anime does it. I kinda got the idea from my sister, **Demongirl123**, who is an amazing person and author btw. She started it for her Retro chapters and I thought it was amazing, so hope you don't mind sis^^' Faithful readers, review please^^


	20. Identify Yourself

**Identify Yourself: Powerful New Rivals**

**A/N: **Great news guys, this is the longest chapter so far of my story, so I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it^^ Tell me what you think in a review.

* * *

"You're an embarrassment to our village." came a new voice.

Everyone gasped because he was standing on the bottom half of the tree branch, on the opposite side of the trunk that Sasuke was leaning on. He had red hair, pale eyes, black rings around his eyes, a symbol tattooed on his forehead, I couldn't make out what it was, and had a gourd on his back. And since he said 'our village', he was a Suna ninja as well, and if I had to guess, the third member of Kankurō's genin squad.

Kankurō smiled weakly, his expression changing again. "Hey Garaa." he said.

Whoever he was, something seemed off about him. But then again, this raised the million dollar question, why would a team of genin from the Hidden Sand Village be here in the Hidden Leaf?

"Have you forgotten the reason we came here?" the ninja known as Garaa asked.

"I-I know, I-I mean…" Kankurō stuttered. "They challenged us, they started the whole thing really."

"Shut up." Garaa ordered. "Or I'll kill you." he narrowed his eyes and Kankurō gasped.

"_I don't like that look in his eye." _Helena muttered. _"He's defiantly someone to keep an eye on."_

"_No kidding." _I gulped.

"I'm sorry for any trouble he may have caused you." Garaa apologized, locking eyes with Sasuke. He then disappeared in a cloud of sand a reappeared next to his team. "Let's go." he ordered. "We didn't come here to play games."

Kankurō chuckled lightly. "Right sorry." the three walked off.

"Hold on!" Sakura called. "Hey!"

"What?" asked the female Suna Kunoichi. She turned around and glared at Sakura, making my teammate back away.

I stood up for her. "From the symbol on your headbands, you three come from Sunagakure, the Village Hidden in the Sand." I noted, putting on a brave face, even though the three Suna ninja did freak me out a little.

"She's cute and smart." Kankurō muttered, eyeing me. "So what's it to ya?"

"Sure, the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind are allies, but no shinobi can enter another's village without permission." I added on, standing firmly. I placed my hands on my hips, "So state your purpose for being here. And it better be a damn good one."

"You're sister is so cool." Taio whispered to Kallera.

"Or she has a death wish." Kallera rebuked.

"Have you been living under a rock or something?" asked the female Suna ninja. "You have no idea what's going on do you?" she pulled an id from her ninja pouch. "We have permission. And you are correct, we are hidden sand genin, and our home is the Land of the Wind." she put her identification back. "And we're here for the Chūnin Exams."

"The Chūnin Exams? What's that?" Naruto asked. "I've never heard of any Chūnin Exams, believe it."

I sighed in annoyance, as did Kallera and her friends.

"Oh I believe it alright, that you're totally clueless." laughed the Suna Kunoichi.

"The Chūnin Exams are a set of tests all Genin have to take to become Chūnin." Taio informed.

"Then I am so there!" Naruto exclaimed.

"_It's times like this I really wish I was on another team." _I thought, both annoyed and embarrassed that Naruto was this stupid.

The three Suna genin turned and walked away, only for Sasuke to jump down from the branch he was on a call them back.

"Hey." he called. "Identify yourself."

The Suna female stopped, "You mean me?" she giggled. "The name's Temari."

"I meant the guy with the gourd on his back." Sasuke corrected.

The redheaded ninja turned. "My name is Garaa of the Desert." he introduced. "I'm curious about you too, who are you?"

"I am Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke replied, smirking.

Both boys stared each other down, a light breeze blowing in between them. Something told me that Sasuke just found a new rival to compete with, who might actually give him a challenge.

Kankurō cleared his throat and approached me, "I'm curious about something too." he said, standing directly in front of me. "What's your name, cutie?"

I felt a little bit of heat rush to my cheeks. "Kristin." I replied, not sure really how to.

He smiled, "That's a pretty name, I'm Kankurō, from the Hidden Sand." he leaned in closer to me and wrapped one arm around my waist and used the other to lean on the wooden fence. "Maybe you and I could get together sometime and you can show me around your village?" he winked. "What do you say, hot stuff?"

His grip tightened around my waist, practically wrapping around it, where the crook of his elbow rested right near my demon mark, which pulsated a bit.

"I would recommend you move your arm or you'll be pulling back a bloody stump, and I really don't want to cause a fight." I chuckled lightly, and the whole 'bloody stump' part was Helena's words, not mine.

"_This creep better take his hands off or he's so dead." _Helena growled.

He took my ponytail and draped it across my left shoulder and held the edges in between his fingers, "Nice hair, so soft and silky, not to mention beautiful, like the rest of you." his eyes wandered up and down my body, and he smiled.

I was at a loss for words. His grip tightened on my waist, pulling me closer to him. I chuckled lightly, moving his arm from its position around my waist and back to his side. "Yeah, let me take a rain check on that." I stepped away from him.

"Kankurō! Let's go!" Temari called. "We're not here so you can flirt with the other Kunoichi here!"

"Sisters, am I right?" Kankurō muttered.

"Tell me about it." I agreed, wait, why did I just agree with him?

Kankurō leaned closer to my face and took my chin in between his thumb and index finger, "See you around, hot stuff." he winked and walked away, joining his team.

"I bet you're dying to know my name, right?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"I couldn't care less." Garaa scoffed. And with that, the Suna genin left.

* * *

I was still struck by the Kankurō's flirting. Taio tugged on my arm warmer, "Are you okay Kristin?" he asked.

I looked down at him, "Yeah, I-I think I am."

"That sand ninja was totally flirting with you." Iris said.

"Well he's just out of luck." Kallera huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "I mean, my sister already has two suitors, so he needs to get in line."

"Please stop talking." I asked my little sister, placing my hand on her head.

"What is she talking about?" Sasuke asked, looking at me.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with." I snapped, then realizing how it came out. "Sorry, I'm just going to take Iris and Taio home." I looked at the three youngsters on either side of me, "Let's go." and we walked off.

"Where are you going Kristin?" Sakura asked me.

"I'm taking my little sister's friends home, then I gotta run to the market." I answered, chuckling lightly.

"The market? Why?" Naruto asked.

"My family has to eat ya know." I snapped. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." I walked off, ignoring anything else they said.

* * *

"So sis, are you okay?" Kallera asked. "You look a little, distracted."

"It's just what that Kankurō guy said to me." I muttered, running my hands down my ponytail, which was still draped over my shoulder, the tip hung just at length with my demon seal. "About my hair."

"Yeah, that's the first time that someone has complimented it, and you." Iris said.

"Not that he was wrong to, I mean you are very pretty." Taio added, holding my hand.

I smiled, "Well thank you Taio, that's very sweet." I giggled. "But actually, he was the second guy to compliment my hair and me." I flipped my ponytail back.

"Who was the first?" Iris asked, looking up at me.

I closed my eyes and smiled, his words echoing though my mind _'You shouldn't change anything about your hair, it's beautiful just the way it is. And one day, people are going to see that. You'll be a Kunoichi who is just as strong as she is beautiful, and trust me, you will be beautiful.' _

"It was-" I began to say, but Kallera cut me off.

"Shikamaru! Choji!" she yelled, waving.

"Well if it isn't the sisters Hatake." Choji greeted, smiling.

"What are you both doing here?" Shikamaru asked.

"We were walking Iris and Taio home." I answered. "And then I was going to pick some stuff up at the market for dinner tonight."

"What are you gonna make tonight?" Choji asked, eyes wide.

I giggled. "My mom's Teriyaki Chicken Pasta Salad."

Choji wiped the drool from his mouth, "Care to have any gusts?"

"I don't think so Choji, it's just us three tonight." Kallera giggled.

"Besides Choji, remember, your parents invited me and my family over tonight." Shikamaru reminded. "And Ino's too."

"_So they've gotten that close huh?" _I thought, sighing. "Well you boys have fun tonight." I walked past them.

Shikamaru grabbed my arm, "What's the rush? We have time to kill." he said, "Let us walk with you. We haven't talked much since you got back from the Land of Waves mission."

I felt the heat from my cheeks again. "Yeah, thanks but, uh, maybe tomorrow or something. I really need to get straight home after picking up the things I need, because, heh, chicken takes time to thaw and stuff." I chuckled lightly, moving my arm. "So, see you boys tomorrow."

* * *

I picked up the pace and walked on, confused at myself for why I was acting so weird. As we walked down the streets of the village, we ran into Kaia Onaga, Iris' mother and Taio's aunt. She was a beautiful woman who had long lavender hair and deep forest green eyes.

"Aunt Kaia." Taio called, as we walked up to her.

"Hello." she greeted. "Kristin, how are you dear?"

"I'm fine." I put a smile on.

"You look so beautiful, just like your mother." Kaia smiled back.

I blushed. "Thank you."

"So I'll see you guys tomorrow?" Kallera asked.

"Totally." Iris answered, giggling and holding her mom's arm.

"By Kristin." Taio waved as they walked off.

"Let's go little sister." I said, walking in the opposite direction.

* * *

The next day, dad gave us the order to meet on the bridge at our usual time, when it was supposed to be our day off. I rushed out of the house so quickly that I only had one granola bar for breakfast, and with my metabolism, that's not much.

"It's always the same old thing." Sakura huffed. "He sets the time and we have to wait hours for him!"

I sighed, "Don't complain to me, I'm not his babysitter." even though my dad hasn't been home when I wake up and leave. Of course, I was so rushed that my hair was still soaking wet from the shower I had to jump out of, just as I started shampooing.

"I didn't even have time to blow dry my hair!" Sakura ranted.

"And I didn't have time to brush my teeth or change my underwear." Naruto added.

I gagged, "That's really disgusting Naruto."

Saved by the sensei as he appeared, "Good morning guys. Sorry I'm late, afraid I got lost on the path of life."

"_Or couldn't find your way from Konoha-sensei's place." _Helena mused.

"So not funny." I mumbled.

Dad joined us on the ground and we gathered around him.

"I know this is a bit sudden but I recommended you for the Chūnin Exams." dad said. "All four of you." he held out dour slips of paper, "These are the application forms."

"Application forms?" Sakura and I repeated.

"You're repeating me girls." dad noted. "This is all voluntary. It's up to each of you. If you decide you're not ready, you can wait till next year."

"Alright!" Naruto cheered. "Kakashi-sensei you rock!" he ran up and hugged our sensei.

"Hey, don't slobber on my vest." sensei said, putting Naruto down. "Whoever does decide to participate, sign the application form and bring it to room 301 at the Academy. It's at 3 pm, five days from now. That's it."

We each took the slip of paper and dad left us. Well, time to read this over and think about it. At least it gives us five days to think it over. I sighed and walked with the rest of my team.

"_My dad was half my age when he became a Chūnin, meaning I have big sandals to fill." _I thought. _"I need to think about this, and I know the perfect place."_

* * *

I went to the Hatake Family Shrine and walked into the temple we had there, with the tapestry of the Clan and pictures of each and every member that had passed from this life.

I walked straight ahead, holding the torch to light the way. Soon I came to the main room, with the tapestry hanging on the wall, the Hatake family tree. The pictures of all the past shinobi from our clan sat on pedestals all lined up underneath the tapestry. My grandfather's was the last picture there was, so far.

I wish I could've met him, but I do feel like I know him. He was around middle-aged when he died, and my dad looked a lot like him. I lit the wick in the incenses oils in front of his picture and knelt down, my hands on my thighs.

"Grandpa, I really need your advice." I admitted, looking at his picture. "I know carrying the last name of 'Hatake' I have big sandals to fill. And I know that I'm still a rookie genin, but…Dad recommended me and my squad for the upcoming Chūnin Exams, and I don't know if I should accept or decline." I sighed, closing my eyes. I gripped the fabric of my skirt, and I felt tears welling up. "I really want to make you proud, and dad proud." the tears ran down my cheeks. "If I do decide to participate, will you be watching over me?"

I looked up and saw the flame flicker. I smiled, "Thank you grandpa." now the tears were tears of happiness.

When I walked out of the shrine, I noticed it was sunset. _"Huh, I must've been in there longer than I thought." _I shrugged my shoulders and went on home, ready for a goodnight's sleep.

* * *

The next day I was at the park with Kallera, Iris, and Taio, looking at their sweet innocent, and remembering when I was like that. I sat on the empty swing next to my sister, who was swinging herself.

"So sis, have you decided yet?" Kallera asked, looking at me.

I smiled, "I'm not one hundred percent sure yet." I answered. "I'm still wondering if I'm strong enough."

"I bet you are." Taio encouraged. "Kallera says you're a water style master."

"I wouldn't say I'm a master at it." I rebuked, standing up and placing my hands on my hips. "I only know a few techniques, and they're basic ones at that."

"What about that dragon jutsu?" Kallera asked, referring to the 'Water Dragon'.

"I haven't quite mastered that one yet, dad showed me all the signs, but, I just can't get them down fast enough and keep my chakra at maximum point." I sighed.

"I'm sure you'll get it." Iris said.

"Kristin!" came Choji's voice.

I saw him and Shikamaru walking towards me, along with a little girl with light brown hair pulled into pigtails.

"What are you boys doing here?" I asked, tapping my foot.

"Babysitting." Shikamaru answered.

Choji smiled and put his hand on the younger girl's head. "You remember Kiku, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course, she was a little thing when I saw her last." I bent down and smiled. "Hi Kiku." I smiled.

"Wow, Kristin you got prettier." Kiku looked up at me, gaping.

"Thank you." I patted her head. "So, why babysitting?"

"My parents are out today and asked me to watch Kiku, so I roped Shikamaru into coming with me to tag along." Choji smiled, lightly punching Shikamaru's shoulder.

"It's a drag but hey, it's not like I have anything better to do." Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders.

I giggled. "Well I'm just hanging out with Kallera and her friends." the three youngsters waved.

I smiled. "Wait, didn't Asuma recommend you guys for the Chūnin Exams?" I asked.

"How did you know?" Choji asked.

I blinked and pulled my application out, still unsigned. "Because my dad recommended me and my team for it as well."

"So you guys too?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"I take it, he did." I deducted. Both boys nodded.

* * *

We were interrupted by an unfamiliar chuckle, and how it sounded put me on high alert.

"Well, three little genin all nice and ripe for the picking." he said, revealing himself in the bushes. He wasn't anyone I recognized. He wore a big hat with his headband plate attached, a black cloak over a light lavender and blue outfit, and a blue mask covering his face. The symbol on his headband was four vertical lines.

"Who are you?" Shikamaru asked, stepping back.

The strange ninja chuckled, "I don't have to answer that." he then threw a chain at us, and we dodged, barely.

Taio, Iris, Kiku, and Kallera hid behind the slide while us genin took on our attacker.

"That symbol, it's of Amegakure." Taio informed.

"The Hidden Rain?" I asked, shocked. "That makes him very dangerous."

The Ame ninja chuckled again, "Correct young Kunoichi."

He moved in to attack again, splitting the three of us genin apart. A scream caught my attention. I turned and saw a second Ame ninja grab my sister.

"Let go of me!" Kallera yelled, squirming.

The two ninja took off in the forest, kidnapping my little sister, and that really pissed me off.

"Kristin help!" Kallera yelled.

"Hang on Kal!" I yelled back, moving to follow. But Shikamaru grabbed my arm.

"Hold on a second Kristin, we know nothing about this guy." he said. "To rush in now would be suicide."

I yanked my arm from his grip, "I don't care, he has my sister. And I'm gonna save her." I spun on my heels and chased after the two Ame ninja, who both wore similar outfits.

* * *

I leapt branch after branch, following the Ame ninja. Shikamaru and Choji decided to help and were on my heels.

"We're not gonna let you fight a whole team of rain ninja by yourself." Shikamaru said.

"We've got your back Kris." Choji gave my the thumbs up.

I nodded and we continued our tail. Kiku, Taio, and Iris followed us. We soon came to the river, and the Ame team was waiting for us.

"Kristin!" Kallera called, smiling. "Now my sister and her friends are gonna kick your ass all the way back to your village."

"Big words for a little pipsqueak." chided the third Ame ninja.

"Let her go!" I ordered. "If you want to fight, than fight us." I added, Choji and Shikamaru stood on either side of me.

"Okay, but the girl stays here, until the fight is over." the lead ninja then lunged for me, aiming to punch me.

I blocked and kicked his legs, then punching his chest, flipping around so I stood in between Kallera and him. "I should warn you, I'm stronger than I look." I said.

I blocked his next assault, holding him in place. "Taio! Girls! Help Kallera, we got these guys."

* * *

Shikamaru and Choji held their opponents in place, and we all locked gazes. A fight ensured between us, and we held our ground, blocking and dodging, at least, until Shikamaru clued us in whenever he had a plan.

"These guys are good." Choji said, dodging his opponents punches.

"That's an understatement." Shikamaru rebuked.

A distance separated us from each other, but we managed. It wasn't until each Ame ninja pulled out a scythe looking blade.

"Now this could be bad." I gulped, dodging a swing that would've taken my head off.

"You little rats are quick to scurry away." chided the lead Ame ninja.

They each went in for a swing, and suddenly I felt a paralyzing sensation. And without a second thought, I dug a kunai from my holster and blocked the attack, landing with my left hand on the ground, back arched off the ground and legs planted in a sideways lock. I, shakily, looked down and saw a thick, black line connecting me with both Shikamaru and Choji, who were in the same position I was.

"Quick thinking Shikamaru." Choji said.

"Shadow Possession," Shikamaru smirked. "The perfect way to keep us all safe, to watch each other's backs."

I smiled, "Thanks man." I chuckled. "Now what?"

"Follow my lead." Shikamaru ordered.

Choji and I nodded, and together, the three of us moved in perfect sync, with Shikamaru leading us through the motions. We moved the blades out of our opponents' hands, moved a few inches, then spun kicked our opponents in the side of the head, sending them into the river, and ending in a stance with our right knees on the ground and left hand bracing us.

I panted, "Great job Shikamaru."

He looked at me, "Think you can get an advantage?"

"I think." I answered, hoping I could.

* * *

Shikamaru released the jutsu, giving us free control again. We stood opposite the Ame ninja in the river, staring them down.

"Nice teamwork, for Rookies." chuckled the second Ame ninja, who kidnapped Kallera.

"_Teamwork?" _I questioned.

Helena scoffed. _"He thinks you three are a squad."_

"We've had practice." Choji said.

"Good work you guys!" Kallera yelled. "Now remember what Konoha-sensei taught you and you'll be theses freaks!"

The three of us looked at Kallera, and I'm pretty sure the guys had an expression of confusion, just like me.

"_It's code you idiot!" _Helena barked.

Of course. I turned to Shikamaru and made a few gestures, passing along that Kallera was playing along with the fact of us being an actual team. They got it instantly.

"What is all that gesturing?" asked the lead Ame ninja.

"Just a code our sensei told us to come up with." Choji answered, smirking. "Makes it easier to relay plans and strategies."

"You picked the wrong team to mess with, you punks." Shikamaru added. He looked at me.

I sighed, "He's got that right. And you chose the wrong little sister to kidnap, jackass." I spat.

"What makes you think you can beat us?" asked the third Ame ninja. "You don't look so badass to us."

"Especially the fat one." added the lead Ame ninja.

Choji's eyes grew hard and he growled, "What did you just say?" he said, glaring daggers.

"You three rain ninja just screwed yourselves, royally." Shikamaru chuckled.

"You heard him, fatso!" answered the third Ame ninja.

Choji literally erupted into flames in rage, "I'll show you chubby power!" he yelled. "Expansion Jutsu! Human Boulder!"

Choji became a giant ball and began rolling, right through the river, plowing into the rain ninja. To avoid us getting flattened in the process, Shikamru pushed me out of the way and we both fell into the water, with Choji leaping right over us.

"You're up Kris." Shikamaru whispered, helping me up. I smiled and nodded.

I clasped my hands together, both index and middle fingers pointed upwards. _"Hope this works." _I prayed. "Hidden Mist Jutsu!" Soon, a thick mist covered the river, and I could hear the gasps from the Ame ninja. When I heard them gasp and curse, I dispersed the mist, and that revealed Shikamaru using his Shadow Possession Jutsu on them.

"Plan, complete." he smiled. Choji stood next to him, grinning.

"What the-" asked the lead ninja.

"Oh this isn't the best part." Choji said.

"Yep, our girl still has a few techniques to show ya." Shikamaru added, locking eyes with me. "Show 'em Kris."

I nodded. _"I just hope I can pull it off." _I thought. _"Now what was that sequence again?"_

"_Don't worry, I can help you there, just focus on the chakra." _Helena said.

I nodded and closed my eyes, letting Helena guide my hands as they weaved the signs. _"Ox → Monkey → Hare → Rat → Boar → Bird → Ox → Horse → Bird → Rat → Tiger → Dog → Tiger → Snake → Ox → Ram → Snake → Boar → Ram → Rat → Yang Water → Monkey → Bird → Dragon → Bird → Ox → Horse → Ram → Tiger → Snake → Rat → Monkey → Hare → Boar → Dragon → Ram → Rat → Ox → Monkey → Bird → Yang Water → Rat → Boar → Bird."_

I opened my eyes, "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" a large dragon appeared behind me, pulsating with a deep water current, he hissed. Then I directed it at the Ame ninja, which it struck full force, and my boys got away just in time.

"Nice shot!" Choji laughed.

I sighed, "I can't believe that worked." I giggled. "But now, for the fun part." I formed the tiger sign and created some water clones, which I used to execute my next technique, _"Snake → Ram → Horse → Hare → Ram → Horse → Hare → Snake → Ox" _then I clapped my hands, my clones trapping the Ame ninja in the Water Prison technique.

"Great job sis!" Kallera cheered.

"She's amazing." Taio sighed.

I flicked my ponytail back and pulled out a kunai, exchanging glances with Choji and Shikamaru, who did the same.

"We're going to let you off with a warning." Shikamaru said. "I think we humiliated you guys enough so here's some friendly advice, get out of our village."

"Or next time we won't be merciful." I added. "I mean I can drown you if I wanted to, but I'm not."

"So you'd better leave before we changed our minds." Choji followed.

We tossed our kunai, and took out my water clones holding the prisons in place, and the Ame trio jumped out of the river and stood by a tree.

"You three may have beaten us, but I assure you, the Chūnin Exams won't be as easy." said the lead Ame ninja, before the three of them vanished.

"Whatever, bring on the Chūnin Exams." I said, turning to face my friends. "Thanks for having my back."

"What are best friends for?" Shikamaru said, placing his hand on my shoulder.

* * *

Kallera ran to me and hugged me, "You were amazing sissy." she said, giggling, "I'm glad you actually caught on to what I meant when I mentioned Konoha-sensei."

I placed my hand on her head and smiled, "Yeah, great idea." I told her. "So really the joke was on those guys because we weren't really on the same team."

"But we sure as hell were pretty convincing." Choji pointed out.

"You were great big brother." Kiku giggled.

I smiled. "I can say this, bring on the Chūnin Exams!"

* * *

We all went out for ice cream to celebrate our victory over the Ame ninja. Me and the boys took the kids to the special spot we used to go to, and still do sometimes.

"You were right Kristin, this is a great view of the village." Iris giggled, licking her strawberry ice cream cone.

I smiled and licked my vanilla cone, enjoying just being in the company of my best friends.

"Too bad Iruka-sensei didn't see our great teamwork." I sighed. "He might've rethought about not putting us on the same team."

"And trust me Kris, we would prefer you over Ino any day." Choji said, licking his double scoop chocolate cone.

"No shit there." Shikamaru agreed.

"She's not mean to you guys, is she?" I asked, genuinely wanting to know.

Shikamaru licked his cookie dough cone before answering. "Not really, she's just high maintence and bossy."

I rolled my eyes, not surprising.

"Same team or not, you three kicked those Ame ninja's asses." Kallera giggled, licking her red velvet cone.

I rolled my eyes and took another lick of mine. "We did, huh?"

"Hey, it was your water style that really won." Shikamaru said, offering me his ice cream, like he used to when we were kids.

I shrugged my shoulders and took a lick, smiling before licking my own again. Kallera nudged my hip and when I looked down at her, she winked and took another lick of her ice cream.

* * *

After we finished our ice cream, we walked Taio and Iris home. Shikamaru and Choji, who carried a sleeping Kiku on his back, accompanied walked me and Kallera home.

"Sis, I'm really tired." Kallera groaned.

So being the great big sister I am, I carried her on my back, and she fell asleep.

"Thanks again you guys, for earlier." I said.

"Anytime Kris." Shikamaru replied.

* * *

The sun had set and the stars sparkled in the sky above. Now digging my house key out was a bit of a chore since my baby sister was out cold on my back.

"Here, let me." Shikamaru took the keys from me and unlocked the door, holding it open.

"Thanks." I said, taking the keys back and tossing them inside the house. "So I guess this is goodnight."

"Night Kris." Choji reached out and gave me a one armed hug.

"Goodnight Choji." I smiled. I then turned to Shikamaru, who also gave me a one armed hug.

"Sweet dreams Kristin." he said.

I smiled against his shoulder, "Night Shikamaru." I replied.

Shikamaru kissed my forehead and he and Choji headed to their respected homes. I watched them and waited till they were out of sight until I went inside my house.

* * *

Two days later I met the rest of my team at the Academy, all four of us were ready and willing to take on these Chūnin Exams.

"So, we're all here then?" I asked.

"Yep, now let's do this thing!" Naruto exclaimed.

We entered the Academy and found a crowd of people blocking the way, and two young punks were guarding the 301 room door, but something felt off to me.

"Nice speech, now back off and let me through." Sasuke said, stepping forward, with the rest of us in tow. "And while you're at it, reverse the genjutsu, we're going to the third floor."

"What does he mean, we're on the third floor?" said one random genin.

"So you noticed the genjutsu huh?" asked the brunette ninja guarding the door.

"Go ahead, tell them Sakura." Sasuke said, glancing at our pink-haired teammate. "I'm sure you noticed the genjutsu a mile away. You girls do have the sharpest eyes and best analytical skills on our squad,:

"I must have?" Sakura repeated. She closed her eyes and smiled. "Well sure, yeah I noticed it right away. This is only the second floor."

Sasuke then glanced at me, "Show them Kristin. Prove that just 'cus we're rookies doesn't mean we're stupid."

"Uh yeah sure." I replied. I clasped my hands together, both of my index fingers up, "Release." I muttered.

And with that, the genjutsu was broken, reveling the room number to be 201.

"Well, aren't we the smart ones?" chuckled the other ninja.

He then moved in to kick Sasuke, and Sasuke tried to kick back. But some other leaf genin stopped them, mid kick. He had a black hair in a soup-bowl style cut, weird, almost bug-eyed, eyes, wore a green one-piece suit with his head band around his waist, and wore bandages around his hands and arms, and had orange leg warmers. He looked about a year older than me and my team.

"_Wow, he was pretty fast to stop Sasuke's kick like that."_ I gasped. Just who was this guy?

Two other ninja, I presumed were his teammates, approached him after he released Sasuke's leg.

"What happened to the plan?" asked the other male genin, who had long brown hair, pale eyes, wearing brown shorts and a khaki colored shirt. "You were the one who said we shouldn't show our skill level."

"I know but-" the weird-looking genin said.

The Kunoichi on the team, who had short, brown hair pulled into buns, wore a pink sleeveless qipao-style blouse with red sleeve trimmings and yellow fastening buttons as well as dark green pants, and had brown eyes, sighed. "Whatever, just forget it."

The weird-looking genin was staring at Sakura, and it kinda creeped her, and me, out, very much so. He then approached us, standing right in front of Sakura.

"Hello, my name is Rock Lee." he introduced himself. "You are Sakura right?"

"Uh yeah. "Sakura replied, blinking.

Lee held the thumbs up, winked and smiled, "Please be my girlfriend, I vow to protect you with my life."

I gaped and Sakura just stood there, frozen. "Defiantly…not." she stated, bluntly.

"_She shot him down quickly." _Helena chuckled.

"But why?" Lee whimpered, defeated.

"Because you're a weirdo." Sakura answered.

"_Harsh girl, you ever heard of letting a guy down gently?" _I questioned.

"_So says the girl who has three guys pursuing her." _Helena rebuked.

I growled, _"You are just as bad, if not worse, than my sister."_

"_Just stating the obvious. I see what you see, and I can see that two of your best friends are in love with you, and that Kankurō creep really wants you." _Helena shuttered when she said Kankurō's name.

I huffed, _"Can it Hel, I'm not in the mood right now."_

And with that, she shut up, muttering curses under her breath.

"Hey you!" called the other male genin on Lee's squad. "What's your name?" The question was directed at Sasuke.

"It's common courtesy to give your own name before asking someone else's." Sasuke pointed out.

"Hey, you're a Rookie aren't you? How old are you anyway?" he asked.

"I'm not obliged to answer." Sasuke replied, turning his back on the other genin.

"Hey Naruto, Sasuke, come on already let's go." Sakura said.

"Yeah, after all, we have an exam to take." I added.

Sakura and I linked hands and led the boys away so they wouldn't start a fight and make us late. Yeah, I had a feeling these exams were gonna be interesting. I smiled to myself, waiting to see what these big, bad, Chūnin Exams were really all about.

"_And I'll be around to make sure you don't get killed." _Helena chided, smiling.

* * *

Next time…

**Kristin**: Okay, that Rock Lee guy may look weird but he's one gutsy guy to challenge Sasuke outright.

**Helena**: But what is the deal with all the winks and kissing he's making towards Sakura, you ask me he's a few shuriken short of a set.

**Kristin**: Despite that, I hear he's one of the toughest fighters here at the exams. Next time: **Chūnin Challenge. Rock Lee vs. Sasuke**.

**Helena**: Tough fighter or not, I still say he's a nut job. And what's the deal with his outfit?


	21. Chunin Challenge

**Chūnin Challenge. Rock Lee vs. Sasuke**

* * *

"Hey you!" called the other male genin on Lee's squad. "What's your name?" The question was directed at Sasuke.

"It's common courtesy to give your own name before asking someone else's." Sasuke pointed out.

"Hey, you're a Rookie aren't you? How old are you anyway?" he asked.

"I'm not obliged to answer." Sasuke replied, turning his back on the other genin.

"Hey Naruto, Sasuke, come on already let's go." Sakura said.

"Yeah, after all, we have an exam to take." I added.

Sakura and I linked hands and led the boys away so they wouldn't start a fight and make us late. Yeah, I had a feeling these exams were gonna be interesting. I smiled to myself, waiting to see what these big, bad, Chūnin Exams were really all about.

"_And I'll be around to make sure you don't get killed." _Helena chided, smiling.

* * *

We made our way to the training hall.

"Hey you, with the attitude." someone called. "Hold on."

We all stopped and turned to see that Rock Lee was the one calling us. He stood a floor above us, staring down at us.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked.

"I want to fight. Right here and right now." Lee answered. He jumped down and landed opposite us. "My name is Rock Lee. You said it was common courtesy for a challenger to give his own name first, Sasuke Uchiha."

"So you know me." Sasuke said.

"I challenge you." Lee said, taking a weird stance.

"_This guy is pretty ballsy to challenge Sasuke like this." _I thought.

"_Well then he's just as stupid as he is weird, and he is very weird." _Helena snickered.

"Everyone is always talking about the Uchiha Clan, how powerful they are." Lee went on. "I want to see if it is true. You will be a good test for me. And also…" Lee turned his attention to Sakura, who froze. "Oh Sakura, I love you."

Sakura screamed and hugged herself, "Your hairstyle is weird and those eye brows are so bushy, you're such a weirdo!" she yelled.

"You are an angel, sent from heaven." Lee replied, winking and sending a kiss to Sakura, who dodged, still creeped out. He sent a dozen or so more, making Sakura dodge for her life.

"_This guy has totally flipped his lid." _Helena sighed. _"I'm glad he's not in love with us, one creep is bad enough."_

"You've heard about the Uchiha Clan yet you're challenging me?" Sasuke asked. "You must be even more psycho than you look."

"If that's even possible." I muttered.

"You want to know more about my clan? Then I'll teach you, the hard way." Sasuke said, narrowing his eyes.

Lee held up his hand, palm facing him, "Bring it on." he challenged, smiling.

* * *

"Hold it!" Naruto interjected, and all of us looked at him. "I get him first, this weirdo is mine."

"Go for it." Sasuke, shockingly, encouraged.

"No thank you." Lee said. "Right now the only one I want to fight, is Uchiha."

"Well I've got news for you!" Naruto yelled, charging. "Sasuke can't compare to me, believe it."

Lee just moved his hand, stopping Naruto's punch. Naruto fell forward enough for Lee to get underneath him and kick him to the wall, where he hit his head and fell unconscious.

"_Wow, he's better than he looks." _I gasped.

"_He's still a weirdo." _Helena chided.

"Just accept it. You have no chance against me. Your skills are inferior." Lee said. "You see Sasuke, out of all the Leaf genin I am the best. Fight me and I will prove it to you."

I remembered just earlier when he stopped Sasuke's kick in mid air, holding it firmly, his strength never wavering. He may look weird, but, I believe him when he says he's one of the toughest fighters here.

Sasuke's mouth curled up in a smile. "This'll be fun." he said, "Let's do it."

Sakura and I exchanged glances and then looked at the clock. The time read 2:34 pm.

"There's no time to fight this guys Sasuke." I told him. "We have to register by three o'clock."

"That's less than half an hour." Sakura added.

"Don't worry, this will be over, in five seconds." Sasuke told us, his eyes glaring at Rock Lee. Sasuke charged for his challenger, and once he joined in on a fight, there was no stopping him.

"_I hope he knows what he's doing." _I thought.

"_Man, that ego of his is gonna get us into trouble one of these days."_ Helena chided.

"Boys." Sakura sighed.

"Get used to it." I told her.

* * *

Sasuke aimed to punch Lee square in the face, only for him to dodge instantly. Lee reappeared behind Sasuke and prepared a kick. Sasuke was all ready to block, but the kick connected, with his cheek.

"Sasuke!" Sakura and I yelled.

Sasuke landed a few inches from us, laying on his side.

"A hell." _"This is very bad. At this rate we're gonna have to drag Sasuke and Naruto by their ears if we want to make it to registration on time."_

Sasuke slowly stood up, smirking. "I've been waiting to try this out." he said.

I gasped, _"Could it be?" _as I got a closer look, I saw his eyes had changed from deep onyx to red, with a black design. _"His Sharingan. But when did he awaken the power? It's in both eyes, incredible."_

Sasuke went back to fighting against Lee, and with his Sharingan, he has an advantage.

"_Sasuke's getting stronger every day, just what you expect from someone of the Uchiha." _I thought.

Lee landed a full forced kick to Sasuke's jaw. He then continued to dodge Sasuke's punches, and get around his guard somehow.

"You see, my technique is neither ninjutsu or genjutsu." Lee informed. "It is only taijutsu, no tricks, just pure martial arts."

"_He must've gone through intense training to have taijutsu moves that good." _I thought. I remembered my dad telling me that taijutsu is a battle skill all shinobi possess, some stronger than others. It's basic hand to hand combat, no tricks, no weapons, just agile swiftness and skill. He taught me a couple of moves when I was younger and said it's a valuable technique to learn, just in case you find yourself running low on chakra, or if you're fighting an opponent with close-range combat skills.

But for this guy, only a year older than us, to have mastered such a technique with that incredible speed, able to get around Sasuke's guard so easily, it's almost unreal.

"Forget about your technique, it will not work, not on me." Lee told Sasuke. "You're Sharingan gives you the ability to read your opponent's chakra, and decipher his hand signs. With that, you can guess what he's going to do almost before he knows himself. But see, taijutsu is a little more different."

"So what's your point?" Sasuke asked, annoyed.

"I do not try to hide or disguise my moves." Lee answered. "You cannot stop me, you are too slow." he added. "Your eyes may be quick enough to read my moves, but if your body cannot keep up, what good does it do you?"

"_This guy is defiantly trying Sasuke's nerves." _Helena noted. _"If this keeps up, he's gonna destroy this place, not to mention we're gonna miss registration."_

I sighed. _"His ego is getting the best of him, isn't it?" _

"You see Sasuke, I believe there are two types of ninja; those like you, born with talent who don't have to work at it, and those like me, who must train hard every day of our lives." Lee said. "n reality, your Sharingan is the worst match, for my extreme taijutsu." Lee prepared another kick and it connected, tossing Sasuke up into the air.

Next he performed the technique known as the 'Dancing Leaf Shadow' a taijutsu technique known only to the Hidden Leaf village. The bandages from Lee's arms began to unwind only a little, enough to tie around his opponent.

"_He couldn't be using that jutsu, could he?" _I thought.

* * *

Just as the bandages were about to wrap around Sasuke, a pinwheel pinned it to the wall. We all looked in the direction it came from and saw a giant red tortoise with a red shell, with a yellow underside, yellow swirls on top, yellow markings around his eyes, and wearing a Konohagakure headband around his neck.

"_A giant turtle? What the hell?" _Helena asked.

"That's enough Lee!" yelled the tortoise.

Lee landed in a kneeling position in front of the tortoise.

"Sasuke!" Sakura called.

"I got him!" I told her, running to catch Sasuke before he hit the ground. I slid across the floor and barely caught him, "Gotcha." I grunted.

His body looked pretty beat up, but he was shaking with anger. _"Sasuke?" _I thought.

"Is he okay?" Sakura asked, kneeling on the other side of Sasuke.

"_He's really shaken up." _I noted. _"He didn't even take the fall right."_

I glanced over and heard Lee apologize to the tortoise that was berating him. _"Could that be a summon of his sensei's?" _I thought.

"_I don't know, but watching him getting lecture by a reptile is pretty funny if you ask me." _Helena chuckled.

"_Says the canine demon who agrees with my crazy little sister on occasion." _I replied.

That shut her up, but she did growl at me.

* * *

"Hey you guys." Naruto called, joining us.

"What Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"That thing he's talking to a turtle right?" Naruto questioned.

"No." I answered. "It's a tortoise you moron!"

"What about it?" Sakura asked.

"Maybe it means turtles can be sensei too." Naruto said.

I felt the urge to use him as a punching bag. "You idiot!" Sakura and I yelled in unison.

* * *

In a scene of smoke and noise, a Jonin appeared on top of the tortoise summon. The Jonin looked strangely similar to Lee, same haircut, even bushier eyebrows, same jumpsuit, leg warmers, and he struck a very odd pose, creeping us all out. The only difference from Lee is that this Jonin wore a flak jacket, just like normal Chūnin and Jonin wear.

"Hey everybody! How's it goin'? Life treatin' ya good?" he yelled, energetically. According to the ninja tortoise, the Jonin was Guy-sensei.

"So that's where he get's it from." Naruto said. "Same soup bowl haircut, and even bushier eyebrows."

"Do not insult Guy-sensei! He is the greatest man in the entire world!" Lee yelled.

"Well excuse me for not noticing his greatness! I was too busy watching him crawl out from underneath a turtle!" Naruto yelled back.

"He did not crawl out." Lee stated.

"Give it a rest Lee." Guy-sensei told him. "Now for your punishment for trying to use that forbidden technique." said punishment was a punch to the jaw, sending him skidding a couple of inches from our feet.

Guy walked over to Lee and knelt in front of him. "I'm sorry Lee, but it's for your own good." his voiced choked up at the last part.

Now the next thing that happened freaked us out even more, both of them hugged each other and burst out crying.

"_That's just sad, and many levels of disturbing and creepy." _Helena said, gagging.

"_How could Sasuke be beaten by someone that lame?" _I asked, my eyebrow twitching.

Even the damn turtle was crying, and that was even more disturbing. I think I threw up in my mouth a little bit.

"They're both totally crazy." I muttered.

* * *

Lee and Guy-sensei proceeded to walk out of the practice hall.

"Wait, you guys just can't leave." Naruto said.

"What about the Chūnin Exams, there's no time for messing around." Sakura added.

Guy-sensei cleared his throat. "Oh right, sorry about that." he faced Lee. "You not only broke the rule against fighting but you also disrupted the Chūnin Exams, I think that warns a slightly more severe punishment."

Lee saluted his sensei, "Yes sir."

Guy broke his seriousness by striking another weird, and creepy, pose, "Let's make that five hundred laps around the practice field, how does that sound?"

"Outstanding sir." Lee answered.

"They're insane." I said, stating an obvious fact.

Guy looked up and stared right at us, creeping me out even more.

"So tell me, how is Kakashi-sensei?" Guy asked us.

"Do you know him?" Sasuke asked.

"Do I know Kakashi?" Guy repeated. "Well people say, he and I are arch rivals for all eternity."

"There's just no way!" Sakura, Naruto, and I yelled in unison.

* * *

In once second Guy was next to Lee, the next he was behind us. "My record is 50 wins and 49 losses, which is one more than his by the way."

We all gasped and turned around.

"What?" Sasuke asked.

"You're kidding. How'd he beat Kakashi?" Naruto followed.

"The fact is I'm stronger than Kakashi, and faster." Guy answered, smiling.

"There is just no way you're stronger than my father." I said.

"Father?" Guy repeated, looking at me.

I covered my mouth, _"oops"_

Guy then chuckled, "Of course, how could I not see it before, you're the spitting image of Kagome, rest her beautiful soul." he said. "And I can see that spirit in your eyes that's just like Kakashi's."

"You-you knew my mother?" I asked, blinking.

"Bless her beautiful soul, I did." Guy answered. "I was present the day when your parents wed, oh how beautifully breathtaking it was."

I gagged, getting ready to punch this guy. I didn't care he was a Jonin, he was creeping me out. I made a mental note that after these exams to ask my father exactly how his rivalry with Guy-sensei started.

"I apologize for the trouble Lee caused." Guy-sensei said. "Now Lee, please accompany these fine young ninja to the classroom." and with that, Guy and his tortoise summon vanished.

* * *

Lee readied his hand and I caught a glimpse of the bruises he had all over his knuckles. _"Wow, he must train really hard to acquire bruises like that." _I thought.

"Sasuke." Lee called, getting my teammates attention. "I have not been completely honest with you. It is true that I wanted to test my skills, but you are not the one I wanted to test them against." he added. "I lied to you when we were fighting before." Lee admitted. "I told you I was the best genin here, but in truth, the best fighter is someone on my own team, and I came to defeat him; Neji Hyūga."

The boy with the brown hair that approached Sasuke earlier in the hall.

"You were just practice, now you are a target." Lee said, jumping to the second floor and running down the hallway.

"Oh Sasuke." I sighed, looking at my teammate, and friend. He clenched his hands into fists, and gritted his teeth. _"That was a major blow to his ego, and I always hated it when he got angry. Because when he got this way, he became distant, and that's something that terrifies me the most."_

Naruto put his hands behind his head and scoffed. "Well how about that, I guess the Uchihas aren't as good as everyone says they are."

"Naruto!" Sakura and I yelled. "That was totally uncalled for!"

"Just shut up!" Sasuke yelled. "Next time I'll drive him to his knees."

"Yeah right." Naruto huffed. "Who just got his ass kicked."

"That's enough Naruto!" I scolded.

"You saw his hands right?" Naruto asked. "I bet that guy has been training till he drops." Naruto looked at Sasuke, "He trains a lot harder than you do."

Sasuke's expression changed. "This is starting to get interesting." he smirked. "The Chūnin Exams, can't wait to see what's next."

"Alright." Naruto chuckled.

"Uh-huh." Sakura and I giggled.

Sasuke stepped forward. "The let's get going." he said. "Naruto. Sakura. Kristin."

And with that, the four of us walked towards the classroom, anxiously awaiting the Chūnin Exams.

"_Let's get this party started." _Helena chuckled.

* * *

Next time…

Wow, what a surprising turnout that I never would've thought to happen. All of us Rookies were recommended by our sensei's to take the Chūnin Exams. Totally awesome, this just means we're gonna have to work a little harder to get respect from all the other candidates.

Next Time: **Genin Takedown! All The Rookies Face Off!**

This is gonna be fun! *Giggles*

* * *

**A/N: **Ok so here it is^^ Hope you all enjoy it. I'm also going to tell you all that I am waiting on conformation from a friend of mine who is letting me use a few of her OC's in my story, to make sure they debut in the next chapter, or if I have to wait till the Chunin Exam finals to introduce them. I don't know how long it will take, but as soon as I get the okay, I'll begin on the next chapter. Until then, review this one^^


	22. Genin Takedown!

**Genin Takedown! All Thirteen Rookies Face Off!**

**A/N Disclaimer: **I do not own the cannon characters in this chapter, as well as three Original Characters the make their debut. Those three OC's are property of another fanfiction author who is a friend of mine, thanks to her for letting me use them in my story. Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

After the incident with Rock Lee, the four of us made our way to room 301, we were ready for the Chūnin Exams. As we approached the room, I noticed Kakashi-sensei standing by the entrance.

"_What's dad doing here?" _I thought.

"_To wish us luck hopefully. Because with this misfit team, we'll need it." _Helena answered.

I smirked. _"You just used 'us' and 'we' in those sentences. You consider yourself part of this team."_

She shut her mouth, not sure how to comeback. I felt proud of myself, outwitting the demon wolf. Hopefully she'll learn that this is my life, and she's gonna have to learn to watch from the 'backseat' so to speak.

Dad stood in front of the door, looking at the four of us. "Glad you girls came, for your sake and the others." he said.

"Huh?" we all questioned.

"Now you can all formerly registers for the Chūnin Exam." he added.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"You see only teams of three are allowed to apply for and take the Chūnin Exam." dad answered. "That's the way it's always been."

"But dad, you told us that the decision to take the exam was up to the individual." I reminded. "So was that a lie then?"

"Well, sort of." dad replied. He looked out the window, "It is an individual decision to participate, but that single decision affects the team as a whole."

"So why not tell us that from the start?" Sakura asked him.

Dad looked at us specifically. "Well I didn't want the boys pressuring you both. And also I didn't want either of you feeling obliged to participate because of any special feelings you both have for either of them."

I rolled my eyes.

"I wanted both of you to come to the decision to come participate on your own free will." he told us.

"_Well, thanks for that I guess." _I thought. I nodded my head and smiled.

"So if Sasuke and Naruto had shown up, but Kristin and I both decided not to come with them," Sakura began to ask.

"I couldn't have let the others in." dad finished. "But it's a moot point. All four of you are here and for the right reasons. Sakura, Naruto, Kristin, and Sasuke, I'm proud of you." dad closed his eyes and smiled. "I couldn't have asked for a better team." he added, stepping aside so we could enter the room.

I walked forward and faced him, "And I think I speak for the others when I say, we couldn't have asked for a better sensei."

The other three nodded.

Dad placed his hand on my shoulder, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him. "Thanks daddy, for everything you've done for me." I told him.

Dad rubbed my back, "You've grown up so much. Your mother would be very proud." his grip tightened. "Be safe okay."

"I will." I replied, squeezing his neck tighter. I released my arms and looked up at my dad, "I love you daddy."

"Love you too, Kristin." dad kissed my forehead.

My team and I walked to the door, and pushed it open. _"Chūnin Exam, here we come." _I thought.

* * *

The room was crowded with ninja, all wearing headbands with various symbols on them. And as we walked in, they glared at us. I gulped. _"Okay, that us a lot of competition. A lot of scary competition."_

A school girl giggle broke my concentration. I looked over and saw Ino Yamanaka, one of the other Rookies, jump on Sasuke's back.

"You have no idea how much I was hoping you'd show up here." she giggled.

"Hey! Back off you porker, he's mine!" Sakura yelled.

Enter hostile cat fight over a boy, yay. I rolled my eyes.

"So you're here too huh?" I heard a familiar voice asked.

I turned my head and sighed in relief, finally two friendly faces.

"Choji! Shikamaru!" I called, running over and wrapping my arms around their necks, hugging both of them. I moved so I stood in between them.

"Hey Kris." Choji patted my shoulder and offered me his bag of chips. "Want one?"

I smiled and grabbed one, "Thanks." I popped it in my mouth and crunched it.

"Okay I knew this whole thing would be a drag, but I didn't know it was gonna be this lame." Shikamaru sighed.

I rolled my eyes.

"So Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee are here as well eh?" Naruto asked, glaring at my two best friends.

"You know what pipsqueak-oh forget it, you're a waste of time." Shikamaru sighed.

I cast a glance around and noticed that we weren't the only Rookie teams here. I guess I should formally introduce everybody.

Firth there's Shikamaru Nara, one of my best friends. But one thing that does get a little old is his constant complaining about how everything is "Such a Drag" to quote him. But in light of all of his complaining, he never does anything about it. I guess I could you could say he was the laziest kid in the Academy. He always slept in class, seldom did his homework, and tended to skip class sometimes.

Next there's Choji Akimichi, another friend, and a great person to be around. He always knows what to say to make me smile if I was ever having a bad day. One thing about him though, he always has some sort of finback with him. If I had to guess, I would say he packs more snacks than ninja gear for his missions.

And the Kunoichi on said best friends' team, Ino Yamanaka. Now three words come to mind when I see her, just based on past encounters. Those three words are 'High Maintence Bitch'. She's just as in-love with Sasuke as Sakura is, and the two constantly fought over him in school, which made me want to gag.

"Well, this is really a surprise." came a male voice.

I turned and saw another Rookie team approach us. The young male who spoke was known as Ichiro Hagane. I only know him through being friends with his sister, who was the only female friend I had during my childhood days. To my knowledge, Ichiro was a decent guy, and he was older than Orchi, and he showed his protectiveness.

On either side of him were his teammates. The one on his left was known as Sakoku Uzuki. His personality kinda reminded me of Sasuke, just not as secluded. He was also a decent guy, and had skills that would make him a great Shinobi one day.

The final teammate, Orchi Hagane, my only childhood female friend. She was a sweet girl, a little on the sassy side. We got along great because we were both raised with a sibling by a single parent who happened to be a skilled Jonin in our village. We sometimes traded stories about what it was like, me being raised with my younger sister, by only my father, and her with her older brother, by her mother. We agreed we were dealt a bad hand, but tried to make the best of it.

"I'm almost surprised to see you here, Kristin." Orchi said.

I scoffed, "Well, my dad has a lot of faith in us. And I do have big sandals to fill." I replied.

"Well, looks like the gang is all back together again." that cocky voice I knew all too well.

The final of the Rookie teams, Team Eight. The cocky one was Kiba Inuzuka, along with his ninja hound, Akamaru. I would respect Kiba more, if he wasn't so damn cocky and had a little more respect. He thinks he's the best of all of us Rookies, even though he was among the 'dead lasts' at the Academy.

Then there was Hinata Hyūga, the shyest girl in our class. I mean, she was a really nice girl, but she was always way too quiet. And, for reasons unknown, or I don't really want to know, she always gets real quiet and embarrassed whenever Naruto looks at her.

And the final member of the team, and last Rookie in the room, Shino Aburame. The most quiet person in the Academy. I don't know much about him, only that he is the last of us Rookies I would ever want to face in battle.

"Well, all thirteen of us are here." Sakoku smiled. "Either our senseis have the utmost faith in us, or want to teach us a life lesson about swimming with the big fish."

Orchi scoffed, "You really Satsuki-sensei would be that way?"

I nodded, "I mean, my team gets on his nerves but, Kakashi-sensei would never set us up to possibly die."

Orchi and I glanced at each other and smiled. Sure, on missions we had to refer to them as sensei, but in the village it was dad (for me) and mom (for her and Ichiro).

"Man, everyone is here for this stupid thing." Shikamaru groaned.

"Yep." Kiba laughed, "The Thirteen Rookies."

Ichiro rolled his eyes, "You say it like that, it sounds superstitious. Almost like a bad omen."

"This is gonna be fun." Kiba said. "At least those of us good enough to make the cut. Right, Sasuke?" Kiba looked up at my teammate.

"Careful you don't get overconfident Kiba." Sasuke warned.

"Just you wait, we're gonna blow you guys away." Kiba gloated. "We've been training like crazy."

"What do you think we've been doing? Sitting around picking daisies?" Naruto asked. "You don't know what training means."

"Don't mind Kiba." Hinata said, in her normal soft voice. "I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it."

* * *

Another hidden leaf shinobi approached us. He looked older than us, by a few years, and he wore glasses,had onyx eyes, ash-grey hair, kept in a ponytail that extended to his upper back, with his bangs framing either side of his forehead. He wore a dark purple shirt with a high collar, a white under-shirt, dark purple fingerless gloves with armored plates on the back of the hand, a white cloth waistband worn at an angle, dark purple pants, blue sandals, and a shuriken holster on his right leg and the Konohagakure forehead protector on his forehead.

"Hey you guys." he said, approaching us. "You might want to keep it down a little." he advised. "I mean no offense, but you're the Thirteen Rookies right? Fresh out of the Academy?" this guy knew a lot. "I wouldn't be making spectacles of yourselves, this isn't a class field trip."

"Well who asked you!?" Ino snapped.  
"Who are you?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest.

"I am Kabuto Yakushi." he introduced. "But really, look around you. Seem you all have made quite an impression."

We all glanced around us and saw the other ninja from various villages staring at us. The looks in their eyes made me shiver.

"But really, who can blame you." Kabuto said. "How could you know how things work? You're just Rookies."

"Kabuto, that's your name?" Sakura asked. "This isn't the first time you've taken the exam?"

"No it's, my seventh." he chuckled.

"Huh?" Shikamaru asked. He glanced at me and I shrugged my shoulders.

"Well, they're held twice a year, so this will be my fourth year." Kabuto elaborated.

"Wow, a veteran." Sakura gasped. "You must really know a lot."

"Yeah, sort of." Kabuto smiled.

"Cool, you can give us all the inside tips." Naruto suggested.

"Yeah, some expert, he's never passed." Shikamaru pointed out.

"Well, seventh time's the charm I guess." Kabuto chuckled.

"So I guess all those rumors about the exam being tough are true then." Shikamaru sighed. "Oh man, I knew this was going to be a drag."

I rolled my eyes and slapped his shoulder, "You say that about everything." I said, looking at him.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at me. I just closed my eyes, smiled, and giggled.

"But hey, maybe I can help you kids out a little." Kabuto offered. "With my ninja info cards."

He held up a stack of orange cards with the kanji for "shinobi" on them.

"What the hell are those?" Orchi asked, placing her hands on her hips.

Kabuto knelt down and placed the deck on the ground. "Everything I have learned over the past four years has been chakra encoded on these cards. They may not seem like much to the naked eye. In fact, they appear to be completely blank." he flipped over the top card, and nothing was on it.

Kabuto placed his finger on the front of the card and it began spinning. He was using his chakra to show us the information on the card. A map popped up of all the lands on the continent. On the lower part were symbols representing the hidden villages, and where each village was located, a 3-D bar appeared, showing the number of shinobi from each village that was participating in the Chūnin Exams. Aside from the bar of hidden leaf shinobi, the other nations were pretty even.

Kabuto went on to explain the purpose for these various shinobi to take the Chūnin Exams together is not only to foster friendship between nations, but to also regulate the number of shinobi that end up in each village, maintaining the 'balance of power'.

"Balance of power, right." Naruto said.

"Balance of power. Big deal, it's all a drag." Shikamaru added.

I rolled my eyes and elbowed his hip. "I repeat, you think everything's a drag."

"If one village has a higher number of shinobi than its neighbors, it might be tempted to attack them." Kabuto informed.

"Do those cards of yours have any information on the other candidates?" Sasuke asked.

Shikamaru and I looked in his direction.

"I have information on just about everything and everyone." Kabuto informed. "Even the thirteen of you. So, have anyone special in mind?"

"I might." Sasuke answered.

"So tell me anything you know about them." Kabuto said. "A description, where they're from."

"His name is Garaa of the Desert." Sasuke informed. "And then there's Rock Lee of the Leaf Village while you're at it."

Shikamaru tapped my wrist, getting my attention. "What's his deal exactly?" he asked, whispering in my ear.

"Trust me, you really don't wanna know." I replied, whispering back.

* * *

Kabuto grabbed two cards from the deck, "Here they are." he said.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Show them to me."

"First up is Rock Lee." Kabuto said. The information appeared on the card, complete with a chart of his statistics, mission status, and headshots of his team members and sensei. "Okay so he's a leaf shinobi, same as us. Mission experience 11-C rank and 20-D rank. His squad leader is Might Guy. In the last twelve months his taijutsu skills have radically improved, but his other skills are pretty shaky." he read off the card. "Last year he got a lot of attention as a genin, but didn't choose to participate in the Chūnin Exams. His teammates are Tenten and Neji Hyūga."

"_I can see why he got attention as a genin." _I thought.

"Now for Garaa of the Desert." Kabuto said. His ninja info appeared on the card, and it showed not much information. "Mission experience 8-C ranks and, 1-B rank as a genin." now that was impressive. But as for D-rank missions, it showed a question mark. "There really isn't that much more information on him. He's a rookie from another land."

"The Land of Wind." I cut in.

"Yes." Kabuto replied. "But here's something weird. He survived every mission, without getting a scratch on him."

"The dude's done a B-rank as a genin, and has never even been injured?" Shikamaru asked, almost shocked.

"And we barely escaped with our lives during that technical A-rank mission." I remembered the Land of the Waves mission. Even though Tazuna paid for a C-rank, the circumstances we faced, classified it as an A-rank.

* * *

Kabuto brought the map up again. "Leaf, Sand, Rain, Grass, Waterfall, Sound." he named every ninja village participating in the Chūnin Exams. "It looks like they've sent some highly skilled shinobi to the exams this time around. But of course, the Hidden Sound Village is small, it sprang up recently. So the three sound ninja, are a mystery." he placed the cards back in the pile. "It looks like the competition is going to be intense this year."

"So it would seem." Orchi agreed.

"It almost makes you loose your confidence." Hinata whimpered.

"It's a fine time to start talkin' like that." Ino yelled.

"Do you, really think it's gonna be tougher this time?" Sakura asked.

"It can't be that bad, can it?" I questioned, kinda intimidated by the other genin in the room, besides the Rookies.

"I can say this, in the four years I've taken the exam, I have never seen a crop of candidates, as skilled as this bunch." Kabuto answered.

I gulped. _"Way to go Kristin, what the hell have you gotten yourself into?" _I questioned myself._ "So we're all just Rookies and the majority of these guys are older and more experienced than we are."_

"_Looks like the odds are stacked high against you." _Helena chided. _"And I think that's psyching Naruto out."_

I glanced over and saw him shaking. _"Great, he's falling apart, get a grip Naruto." _

* * *

Then he spun around and pointed a finger at the other shinobi. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki! And I'm gonna beat every single one of ya!"

"_Great paint thirteen targets on our backs you jackass!" _Helena growled.

"_If I die, I'm haunting his ass for the rest of eternity." _I groaned.

"Can you say that a little louder?" Kiba asked sarcastically. "I didn't quite catch that."

"You moron, are you trying to get everyone in this place to hate our guts or what?" Shikamaru asked.

"Naruto! You jackass! Why did you have to go and say something like that!" Sakura scolded, holding Naruto in a chokehold.

I turned to Shikamaru, "If anyone asks, I'm with you."

"Wouldn't blame you." he replied.

* * *

Then suddenly, out of nowhere a shinobi leapt over the desks and held two kunai knives in his hand. He was in mid-air right above Kabuto and us Rookies.

"Kristin move!" Shikamaru warned, pulling me out of the way of the unknown shinobi's way.

Out of pure instinct, I gripped the sleeves of his jacket, bunching the material in my hands. Shikamaru's arms wrapped around my waist, protectively.

Another shinobi, bandages covering most of his face, appeared right in front of Kabuto. The forehead protector had a music note as its symbol.

"_The Village Hidden in the Sound." _Helena guessed.

I caught my breath, "Thanks Shikamaru." I panted, looking up in his eyes. "I owe ya one."

"What are friends for, right?" Shikamaru replied, moving my ponytail off my shoulder. "You don't owe me anything."

I smiled and laid my head on his shoulder.

The mummy-looking sound ninja, swung a punch, only for it to miss Kabuto's face. But even though he dodged it, his glasses still shattered. And then he doubled over and vomited.

"Hang on, I saw him, he dodged the attack." Sasuke said.

"Maybe it was quicker than it looked." Shikamaru added. "Look at him acting like it was nothing, real tough guy."

"Write this on your little card." said the sound ninja who threw the kunai knives. "The genin from the sound village will be Chūnin when this is over. Guaranteed."

"Now he'll think twice before he calls the sound village small." said the mummy ninja.

Then a cloud of smoke filled the area, and a deep voice came from it. "Alright you baby faced degenerates, pipe down and listen up!" he ordered. He was a tall man with two scars on his face. "It's time to begin, I'm Ibiki Morino, your proctor. And starting right now, your worst enemy."

Okay, let the Chūnin Exams begin.

* * *

Next time…

**Kristin**: Okay, now it's time to begin the big bad Chūnin Exams.

**Helena**: You're talking the talk, now walk the walk, sweetie.

**Kristin**: I will, now bring it on! Next time: **Start your Engines. The Chūnin Exam Begins! **Time to get this party started!

* * *

**A/N2: **Hope you all enjoyed^^ Now Team9, or Team Hagane (Orchi, Ichiro, Sakoku, and Satsuki-sensei) belong to **Payton Love** here on . Thanks to her for letting me use them, you all will find out more about Orchi and her team later on in the story! Till then, review please^^


	23. Start your Engines!

**Start your Engines: The Chūnin Exam Begins! **

* * *

Then a cloud of smoke filled the area, and a deep voice came from it. "Alright you baby faced degenerates, pipe down and listen up!" he ordered. He was a tall man with two scars on his face. "It's time to begin, I'm Ibiki Morino, your proctor. And starting right now, your worst enemy."

Okay, let the Chūnin Exams begin.

* * *

Ibiki pointed a finger at the sound ninja, "First, you candidates from Otogakure, who told you, you could fight?" he scolded, "Do you want to be failed before the test has even begun?"

"Sorry, it's our first time." apologized the mummy-looking Oto genin. "Guess we're a little jumpy."

Ibiki cracked a smirk. "As for the rest of you, here are the rules. There will be no fighting between the candidates without the permission of the proctor. Even then, the use of fatal force is absolutely prohibited." his eyes went cold. "Anyone of you who screw with me will be disqualified on the spot."

I gulped. This proctor officially creeped me out, making the hair on my neck stand on end.

"Now that we're all ready, we'll begin the first stage of the Chūnin Exam." Ibiki said. "Hand in your paperwork, and in return you'll each be given a number. This number will determine where you will sit. Once that's done and clear, the written test can begin."

"_Written test?" _I questioned. _"This is gonna be interesting." _

* * *

So every genin in the room handed in their paperwork and were given a small tile with a number written on it. The number I got put me towards the back, left corner of the room, the seat next to the aisle.

"_This is really nice, way in the back where practically no one can see me." _I thought.

"Hiya." came a voice

I turned my head and saw Orchi standing next to me. "Hey Orchi."

"Looks like we're sitting together." she said, taking the seat to my left. "Cool right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, really great." I smiled and cast a glance around the room, trying to locate my teammates. Sakura was a few rows a head of me, with Naruto only a couple in front of her. Sasuke was in a row on the right side of the room, around the middle. _"Looks like everyone is pretty spread out." _I thought.

"Hey there, beautiful." Kankurō said, leaning on the desk. "How are you?"

I scoffed, "Wondering if there's any fighting portions of this exam so I can kick your ass back to the Land of Wind." I replied, batting my eyelashes.

Kankurō whistled. "I almost forgot how feisty you really are." his hand started to inch towards mine.

"You touch me and you're gonna pull back a stump." I warned. Helena and I mutually agreed that Kankurō was not our type.

"Playing hard to get I see." Kankurō chuckled. "Just you wait, you'll see that you want me."

I chuckled. "If I had to choose between that and jumping off a bridge, I'd jump." I told him. "Now leave me alone."

Kankurō winked and walked on back.

"Who the hell is he?" Orchi asked.

"A punk from Sunagakure who can't take 'no' for an answer." I answered. "He also seems to call me everything but my name."

Orchi tapped her fingers on the desk. "I agree with you though, I'd jump off a bridge before going out with that."

We both giggled and high-fived each other. It was moments like this where I'm glad I had a female friend to talk to.

I laid my cheek on my hand and stared ahead, and I noticed Shikamaru sit a couple rows ahead of me. I took a deep breath and exhaled.

* * *

Once everyone was seated, the test began. But first, Ibiki explained the rules.

"I'm only going to explain these once, so pay attention!" he yelled. "Rule number one; the written exam is based on a point reduction system. Now contrary to what you all are used to, each candidate starts out with a perfect score of ten points. One point will be deducted for every question you get wrong. For example, if you miss three questions, your final score will be seven." Ibiki explained.

"_Sounds simple enough." _I thought.

"_Don't write it off just yet, I'm pretty sure there's more rules than just that. Pay attention." _Helena snapped.

I scoffed, _"Stupid wolf."_

"_I heard that." _Helena barked.

"Rule number two; teams will pass based on the combined total of all the members." he continued.

I slammed my head onto the desk. "You've got to be shitting me right?" I whined.

"_Told you there was more." _Helena snickered.

"Shut it Helena, I don't need the 'I told you so' lecture now." I mumbled.

Orchi tapped my shoulder, "I'm sure it's not that bad."

I chuckled, "Naruto sucks at written exams, if his score is really low, Squad Seven will most likely fail this." I whimpered.

Orchi giggled, "But if you, Sakura, and Sasuke get a high enough score, it might not matter." she said, trying to cheer me up.

"I hope so." I mumbled, cursing in my head.

"Rule number three; these sentinels you see positioned around the room are there to look for signs of cheating." Ibiki said, motioning to the other Chūnin in the room. "And for every incident they spot, they will subtract two points from the culprit's score." he added. "Now be warned, their eyes are very sharp, and if they catch you five times, you'll be dismissed before the tests are even scored."

I sighed. _"Okay, so with all of these ways you can loose points, we all are kind of on an even playing field." _I thought. _"Sakura's bound to ace this thing, she does have a sharp mind, so she'll be fine. Sasuke's smart, he'll get the majority, if not all, of these questions right. And I'll be okay, I was the top female of the Rookie class. So with the three of us, and our near perfect scores, we'll barely pass this, even if Naruto gets a zero." _I went over the scenario in my head. My team does have an advantage, us having four genin instead of three, which gives us a high chance of passing even though one of our teammates doesn't know his head from his ass at some points.

"One more thing." Ibiki said, interrupting my train of thought. "Even if one candidate gets a zero and fails the test, then the entire team fails."

"What the hell!" I yelled. _"That's it, we are totally screwed here." _I whined internally.

"_So, does that mean we'll kill Naruto if he makes us fail?" _Helena asked.

I nodded my head. _"Oh yeah, Sakura and I are going to pound him into oblivion, then you can rip him limb from limb, and I'll enjoy it as well."_

"_Sweetness." _Helena giggled. I envisioned her licking her canine fangs, sharpening her claws, and sitting around, ripping apart a scarecrow version of Naruto.

"One last thing, the final question won't be given until fifteen minutes before the end of the testing period." Ibiki added. "You'll have one hour total."

* * *

As soon as the second hand hit the twelve on the clock, the test began. So given the hour limit, we have until 4:30 pm to finish. I gulped, _"Please Naruto, get at least one question right." _I begged.

I glanced over the test paper, examining each question. And I had to bite my lip to avoid screaming out. As I read down the paper, each question became harder and harder.

"_They expect genin to actually pass this monstrosity?" _I gasped.

"_Well, think about it, there has to be more to this exam than just the written test." _Helena said. _"Maybe we have to read between the lines a bit. Like they always say, 'there's more than meets the eye'." _

I pondered that for a second, and as I looked at the questions again. For example question number two was a diagram with a problem-solution and explaining how you arrived at the answer.

I scoffed, _"Not a snowball's chance in hell can Naruto even hope to answer any of these." _I thought.

"_Now the thing that gets me is the sentinels everywhere." _Helena said. _"On any other test, being caught cheating is grounds for dismissal on the spot, so why only deduct two points for each incident of cheating caught?" _

"_You have a point there Helena." _I agreed. I glanced over and saw a sentinel writing his clipboard. _"Someone just got nailed." _

"_It seems they make a bigger deal about cheating than the actual exam itself." _Helena added.

I tapped the end of my pencil on the desk. _"With the rules giving you all sorts of ways to loose points, the sentinels everywhere watching all of us, and these really difficult questions, it's almost like they expect us to cheat." _I thought.

"_I think the main point of this entire exam is to cheat, and not get caught." _Helena deducted.

"_A shinobi must see through deception." _I remembered what dad had taught us. _"Okay so if the whole point is that, the next question is who to cheat off of, without making it seem too obvious."_

Helena giggled, _"I can help you with that, easy." _she said.

* * *

I closed my eyes and faced her in my subconscious mind.

"How can you help?" I asked, my voice echoing.

Helena smiled and closed her eyes. And slowly intricate designs covered her eyes. A small diamond appeared at the lower right and left corner of each eye, and a star appeared on the upper right and left corners. When she opened her eyes, they were a darker shade of blue, with red flakes around the pupils.

"Just focus your chakra and create the seal around your eyes, and let me do the rest." Helena said.

"How does it work?" I asked her.

"Think about it like this." Helena began. "With a single glance at one person, I can see through their eyes and feed you the answers from his, or her, test paper."

"Okay but it is going to look a little suspicious with the seal on my eyes." I told her. "How am I going to hide that?"

Helena smiled and took her dark purple hair out of it's ponytail, letting it fall freely. "Take your hair down and drape it over your shoulders, and keep your head low." she answered. "And every once in a while, close your eyes and snap them open, that way the seal would disappear and it would look like you were deep in thought." she demonstrated what she told me. "Then when you feel their eyes off of you, close your eyes and envision the seal forming, and it will."

I nodded my head. "Okay, I guess I can do that."

Helena smiled. "I may come across as a bitch the majority of the time, but I want to see more of these exams." she said. "Now who can we cheat off of?"

"I have the perfect guy in mind." I smiled.

She and I locked glances and nodded. "Shikamaru." we said in unison.

He may be lazy, but the guy is a genius, I bet he could get these questions with ease. Only one way to find out.

* * *

I sighed and reached up, taking my ponytail down. I parted my hair down the middle and draped it over my shoulders, and I pinned my butterfly clip on the right side of my hair, just letting the lavender and pink touch and little.

I closed my eyes and envisioned the seal around my eyes. The slight tingling sensation I felt meant that it was forming. Now it was time to get the ball rolling. I quickly opened my eyes and focused on Shikamaru, who was in a line of sight a couple rows ahead of me.

"_You're my safest bet." _I thought.

Soon, it was like I could see the answers on the blank squares. Now Helena relayed the answers from Shikamaru's paper to me, and I placed the pencil to the first square and started writing. I kept my head low, making sure no one could see the seal around my eyes.

"_This is perfect, maybe after the exams I'll tell him I cheated off of him" _I giggled to myself. _"I'm sure he won't mind. Knowing him, he probably thinks this entire exam is a drag."_

* * *

Within thirty minutes of the test, about seventeen teams were dismissed, due to one member being caught cheating by the sentinels. As soon as the clock hit 4:02, a kunai whipped past me and landed on the test page of a Kusagakure, or Hidden Grass, Kunoichi that was seated behind me. The kunai flew only inches from my hair, nearly taking some of it off.

"What the hell?" she yelled.

"Five strikes and your out sweetie." giggled the female sentinel. "Number 146 fail! Numbers6 and 37 fail!" she called out.

The female Grass ninja huffed as she stood up and walked out, followed by her male teammates.

I smirked and looked up at the sentinel, "Watch where you throw those kunai." I told her. "You could take someone's ear off."

The sentinel just smiled and went back to her clipboard.

* * *

I rolled my eyes and refocused my chakra, _"Okay Helena, what did he put for question six?" _I asked.

"_Let me see." _Helena said. After a few seconds, she relayed the answers.

I took a small break and quickly glanced around. I heard a hissing noise and I slightly turned my head and saw Orchi nod her head. She then wrote something on her test paper.

"Thanks Rin." she said.

"You're welcome." 'Rin' hissed.

I then noticed a green snake around Orchi's neck. _"Of course, the summoning technique." _I thought. _"Orchi must be using her snake to look off of other's papers and the snake, Rin, must be relaying the answers."_

"Don't worry Kris." Orchi said. "I won't cheat off you."

I smiled. "Nice idea, using Rin to cheat for you." I said.

"I'm not the only one, I bet Kiba is having Akamaru cheat for him" Orchi replied.

I wouldn't put it past Kiba for that. "True."

"Good luck." Orchi said.

"Same to you." I replied.

* * *

I smiled and glanced at the clock, which read 4:10._"Okay, in five minutes Ibiki will give out the tenth question, then, that'll be that. The first part of the Exam will be over." _

"_You ready for it?" _Helena asked.

I cracked a smile, _"Hell yeah I am."_

* * *

Next time…

**Helena**: It's been a long 45minutes, but now it's time…

**Kristin**: Time for the final question to the test.

**Helena**: Wait, what the, more rules?

**Kristin**: Man, Ibiki sure loves his rules. Just quit with the mind games and gives us the tenth question already! Next time: **The Tenth Question: All or Nothing!**

**Helena and Kristin**: Here it comes…


	24. All or Nothing!

**The Tenth Question: All or Nothing!**

* * *

"Good luck." Orchi told me.

"Same to you." I replied.

I smiled and glanced at the clock, which read 4:10._"Okay, in five minutes Ibiki will give out the tenth question, then, that'll be that. The first part of the Exam will be over." _

"_You ready for it?" _Helena asked.

I cracked a smile, _"Hell yeah I am."_

* * *

The second hand moved slowly around the clock as it counted down. And at 4:15 on the dot, Ibiki spoke. "Alright, it's time for the tenth and final question."

"_Here it comes." _Helena said.

I nodded. Nearly half the teams were gone, and all thirteen of us Rookies were left, which made me calm down a little. But the look Ibiki had in his eyes, told me that the tenth question was a lot more difficult than we all might expect.

"But, before we begin, there are a few more rules you need to be aware of." Ibiki added, grinning.

"_More rules?"_ I questioned, sighing. _"Man, he sure loves his rules." _

"Now these rules are unique to question ten." Ibiki said. "Try not to let them frighten you."

I gulped. _"What could this guy be planning?"_

"_Nothing good, I can tell you that much." _Helena answered.

* * *

In the back of my mind, I was wondering what our senseis were doing while the thirteen of us were taking this part of the exam.

"Rule number one, each of you are free to choose to take the tenth question, or skip it." Ibiki informed.

I gasped, _"Say what?" _now I was confused. _"He's giving us the choice to skip the question? What is his real plan?"_

"_Just wait, we know there's more." _Helena said.

"Okay, so what's the catch?" Temari asked. "Let's say we decide to skip the tenth question, what happens next?"

Ibiki chuckled. "If any of you choose to skip the final question, regardless of your answers to the other nine, you'll get a zero." Ibiki answered. "In other words, you fail."

The room went silent. _"Okay, that makes no sense whatsoever. Who would willingly choose to fail when they've come this close to the end?" _I asked myself.

"However," Ibiki went on, "if you choose to accept the final question, but answer it incorrectly, not only will you fail, you will be barred from taking the Chūnin Exam, ever again!"

"What!?" Orchi yelled.

"That is total bull shit man!" Ichiro's voice came from near the front.

"What kind of bogus rule is that?" Kiba asked, standing up. "There's lots of people here who've taken the test before!" Akamaru barked in agreement.

Ibiki chuckled, "Yes that is true." he agreed. "But I guess you all are just unlucky. You see, I wasn't making the rules before." Ibiki chuckled, and grinned. "But you don't have to take the final question if you don't want to. If you're not feeling confident enough in your skills, than by all means, skip it. You can always come back and try again next year."

* * *

The room went silent, everyone was pondering on what their next move would be.

"_This really sucks, if any one of us decides to skip the question, the entire team fails." _I thought. _"But on the other hand, we only get one shot. Mess it up, and we'll be genin for the rest of our lives."_

"_If you ask me, this guy knows exactly what to say to really get to you, almost like psychological torture." _Helena compared.

"_So not helping Helena." _I berated.

"Alright now let's begin." Ibiki ordered. On reflex, I clenched my hands into fists. "The tenth and final question, those of you who don't wish to take it, raise your hands. Your number will be recorded and then you and your team can leave."

I gulped. _"Well, there's no way I'm chickening out." _I thought._ "I've worked way too hard to get here, so no way in hell am I raising my hand." _I cast a glance at Naruto, _"What am I thinking, he doesn't stand a chance." _I sighed.

I know Naruto probably didn't answer a single question on the test, and he's probably freaking out about this final question. I remember what he said his dream was, to be the greatest Hokage, so people would respect him and look up to him, to even acknowledge him. _"It's always Hokage this and Hokage that. That little knucklehead has a one track mind." _I thought. _"And it would just destroy him to have it taken away forever."_

* * *

A couple of other genin caved under the pressure and accepted to skip the final question. That was bout three less teams that failed the first part of the exam.

I just sat in my seat and waited to hear Naruto's voice saying he was throwing in the towel. I knew he would train ten times harder this year, to be prepared for next year's exams, and I was okay with that. So I waited, but when I heard his voice, I nearly fell out of my seat.

Naruto slowly lifted his hand ,but it was shaking, almost as if he was hesitant to quit.

"Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run!" he yelled, slamming his hand down on the desk. "I don't care if I remain a genin for the rest of my life, I'll still be Hokage someday!  
There it was, the same old 'Hokage' speech. I smiled to myself, _"Way to go, you crazy ass fool." _

"_He's probably the most gutsy ninja I've ever met." _Helena chuckled.

I nodded in agreement. And from the looks of things, not one person in the room was wavering. Naruto's speech must've given them some backbone. Seventy-eight candidates remained, thirteen of them being us Rookies. I guess it seemed a little big, but as Kabuto said earlier, this is a strong crop of candidates. I was just wondering how far us Rookies could actually go during these Exams, guess I'll find out soon.

Ibiki glanced around the room, and smiled. "Now then, for those of you remaining, I have but one thing to tell you." he said. "Congratulations, you've all passed the first exam."

* * *

The room fell silent again, everyone in complete and utter shock.

"Hold on, what do you mean we pass?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, where's the tenth question?" Orchi asked, standing up.

Ibiki laughed, "There never was one, not a written one at least." he answered. "Your decision to stay was the answer to the final question."

"So what you're telling us is that the other nine questions didn't mean anything?" Temari asked, just as confused as we are.

"No, the other nine questions served a very important purpose." Ibiki answered. "It was test you all to strategically gather valuable information under the most adverse circumstances." he added.

I blinked, "Okay that makes perfect sense." I huffed, tying my hair into a low ponytail with my green ribbon and butterfly clip.

"Let me explain." Ibiki said. "My objective was not to test your knowledge, but your ability to work as a team, and how you all functioned as a part of that team." he informed. "That's why the test was scored on a team bases, so you all knew that what you did, or failed to do, would reflect how you functioned as a team player."

I nodded, _"That makes perfect sense, no wonder you had all those rules set." _I thought.

"The first nine questions were indeed difficult." Ibiki added on. "And as some of you may have realized, too difficult for any genin to be expected to solve. The test was designed to encourage cheating, it almost demanded it." he added. "But that wouldn't do you any good unless you had someone to cheat off of."

I smirked. _"Well, some genin in this room are quite smart." _I glanced at Shikamaru, who had his hands on both sides of his face. _"And it was because I've known him for so long, that I knew he could solve these, so I figured he was my best bet to cheat from." _

"But knowing that you needed to cheat in hopes of passing would have done you little good, unless you had someone to cheat from." Ibiki said. "So I disguised to Chūnin who already knew the answers and had them sit in with you." the two Chūnin revealed themselves.

"Those of them who caught cheating failed. Better not to cheat, than cheat clumsily." Ibiki removed his headband and showed us the wounds on the top of his head. There were scars and puncture wounds, and burn marks covering his head. "Gathering information can be deadly." he tied the headband back on his head. "Of course you must also consider where you got your information. Intelligence gathered from the enemy isn't always accurate." he informed.

He looked at all of us. "Keep this in mind, inaccurate information is worse than no information at all." he said. "It can lead to death of comrades or the loss of a village. That it why I put you all in a position where you had to gather accurate information, cheat in order to survive."

"Okay, but I still don't get the whole tenth question thing." Orchi admitted, resting her chin on her hands.

"The tenth question was the main point of the whole exam." Ibiki told us. "The goal was to test you, not only as individuals, but as part of a squad. The final question gave you two choices, both difficult." he elaborated. "You could choose to skip the question, although it would mean that you, and your teammates would fail. Or you could choose to answer the question, knowing if you got it wrong, you would loose your chance of ever becoming Chūnin."

Helena scoffed, _"He put us in a no-win situation. Cleaver tactic." _

I rolled my eyes. _"Yeah, he even had me on edge. Your were right Hel, there is more to this exam than meets the eye." _

Helena giggled.

* * *

Ibiki went on to give us a hypothetical mission, with the no-win situation as a prompt. Chūnin ninja encounter these types of missions all the time, and those who would choose to save their own necks, and value their life over their comrades, doesn't deserve to call themselves Chūnin, at least, according to Ibiki.

"But as for all of you, you've passed the first stage of the exam." Ibiki said. "I now conclude this part of the Chūnin Exams, done."

I sighed in relief. But that was short lived when some Kunoichi came busting through the windows. She was older, that was obvious. She also had light brown, eyes, and violet hair which was styled in a short, spiky, fanned-ponytail. She was wearing a tan overcoat with a purple in-seam, which had a pocket on both sides, a fitted mesh body suit that stretched from her neck down to her thighs, a light orange mini skirt, a small pendant that looked like a fang on a thick cord, a wrist watch, and pale grey shin guards. "Heads up, boys and girls, this is no time to be celebrating!" she yelled. "I'll be your next proctor. Anko Mitarashi. You ready for the second test? Good! Then let's go, follow me!"

"_This chick is crazy!" _Helena gaped.

"_A screaming nutcase, that's our next proctor?" _I asked.

Anko smirked. "When I'm though with them, more than half will be eliminated." she chuckled. "Alright you maggots have had it easy so far, but that's all going to change starting first thing in the morning." she warned. "I'll let your squad leaders know where you're to meet me. Dismissed."

All of us exited the exam room and headed home. And after that long test, I was in need of a nice hot bath.

"_What do you think the next exam is gonna be like?" _I asked Helena.

"_Who knows, but if we have to spend an hour in a room with her, I might snap and kill something." _Helena huffed.

Something told me that the next exam was gonna be ten times harder than the first one, I just hope my team and I, can handle it.

* * *

Next time…

**Kristin**: Okay, we've passed the first exam, now for the next one.

**Helena**: Something tells me, it's gonna be harder.

**Kallera**: Hiya sis!

**Kristin**: What the hell Kal?

**Kallera**: *giggles* I'm here to interview you for my article for the Academy Newspaper, you don't mind, do you?

**Kristin**: I guess not…

**Kallera**: Awesome!

**Kristin and Kallera**: Next time: **Special Report! Live from the Forest of Death!**

**Helena**: Oh boy.


	25. Special Report!

**Special Report! Live from the Forest of Death!**

**A/N: **This chapter is going to be a bit different as it is based off of the filler/recap episode of the _Naruto _anime.

* * *

**Kristin**: Hey guys, glad you could make it. So happy you're enjoying the story so far.

**Kallera**: Hiya everyone! As part of an Academy assignment, my friends and I are going to interview my sister later on. Other students are going to interview her teammates, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha.

**Kristin**: We'll just give them a little information about what we've done on our ninja missions, and what's next for us in the Chūnin Exams.

**Both**: Hope you enjoy!

* * *

"What is this place?" Naruto asked.

All of us genin were standing in front of a chain-linked fence, surrounding a thick, dense forest.

"This is the setting for the second phase of the exam." Anko answered. "It's known as the Forty-Fourth Battle Training Zone. But we call it, the Forest of Death."

An ominous breeze flew by. "Forest of Death?" I gulped.

* * *

A group of youngsters I recognized all too well approached us.

"What do you guys want?" Naruto asked them.

"We're here on officially Academy business." Iris answered.

"We're writing an Article all about the Chūnin Selection Examinations." Konohamaru added.

"And we were going to interview you guys for the article." Kallera followed. She held a notepad and pen, ready to go.

"And we'll also include pictures of where each stage took place." Taio snapped a shot of the forest.

Anko walked over to us. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "You're holding up the exams."

"Konohamaru and his friends were saying something about an interview for the Academy newspaper." Naruto answered.

Anko chuckled, putting her hand behind her head. "Oh yeah, Lord Hokage did mention something about them and the interview."

"Okay then." I rolled my eyes.

Anko looked at all of us genin. "Alright we're going to take a ten minute break. For those of you scheduled to be interviewed, please be kind and courteous to the reporters from the Academy newspaper."

"This is gonna be fun." I sighed.

"Lighten up sis!" Kallera said. "This is a big assignment for us, so please give us a great interview session."

I sighed. "Okay fine, I will ok? Promise."

"Good." Kallera smiled.

"If you guys will follow us, we can begin your solo interviews one at a time." Konohamaru told us.

* * *

We followed the six young academy students to a secluded area not far from the gate to the forest. Naturally, Naruto was selected to be interviewed first.

"Okay, this section of the article is going to be named…" Kallera started.

But Konohamaru cut her off. "Naruto! And the rest of Squad Seven!"

Taio held the camera up to his face, "Now Squad Seven, strike a pose."

We did. Naruto and Sasuke stood back to back, while Sakura and I sat on the grass, legs to the side, and shoulders touching.

"Nice one." Taio complemented, snapping the picture.

Konohamaru and Naruto continued their interview.

* * *

"You know, I bet he never even mentions us." I said, leaning against the tree and folding my arms over my chest.

"Yeah he's probably only talking about himself." Sakura agreed.

"That would be just like him." Sasuke added.

Next it was Sakura's turn to be interviewed, and that article title was, "The Art of Being a Ninja." Moegi conducted the interview, and Sakura explained the basic principles of ninja arts, chakra, ninjutsu, and gave examples of all of them using Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei as examples.

My turn was next, and Kallera titled it, "Nature of the Ninja!"

* * *

"So sis, tell us about the techniques you've encountered since graduating the Academy." Kallera asked.

"Well, when we left the village for our Land of Waves mission, I learned a couple new Water-style moves, as well as a kekkei genkai, using the power of both Water and Wind natures of chakra." I answered, remembering Haku from the Land of Waves.

"So what are the chakra natures exactly?" Iris asked.

I cleared my throat, "Well dear, there are five main natures of chakra and those are Water, Lightning, Wind, Earth, and Fire natures." I counted each nature on my fingers. "Example of Water-style shinobi include myself and Zabuza Momochi, the former Demon of the Hidden Mist. We can use our charka to manipulate water and use it for powerful ninjutsu moves. The strongest one I can name is the 'Water Dragon Bullet Technique', which is a complicated jutsu. It requires keeping a large amount of chakra stored up while quickly executing forty-four hand signs. It's a tough one to master, but once you do, it's a strong jutsu that can be used to was away any enemy."

"Kinda like what you did to those Ame ninja that kidnapped Kallera." Taio reminded.

{Flashback}

I clasped my hands together, both index and middle fingers pointed upwards. _"Hope this works." _I prayed. "Hidden Mist Jutsu!" Soon, a thick mist covered the river, and I could hear the gasps from the Ame ninja. When I heard them gasp and curse, I dispersed the mist, and that revealed Shikamaru using his Shadow Possession Jutsu on them.

"Plan, complete." he smiled. Choji stood next to him, grinning.

"What the-" asked the lead ninja.

"Oh this isn't the best part." Choji said.

"Yep, our girl still has a few techniques to show ya." Shikamaru added, locking eyes with me. "Show 'em Kris."

I nodded. _"I just hope I can pull it off." _I thought. _"Now what was that sequence again?"_

"_Don't worry, I can help you there, just focus on the chakra." _Helena said.

I nodded and closed my eyes, letting Helena guide my hands as they weaved the signs. _"Ox → Monkey → Hare → Rat → Boar → Bird → Ox → Horse → Bird → Rat → Tiger → Dog → Tiger → Snake → Ox → Ram → Snake → Boar → Ram → Rat → Yang Water → Monkey → Bird → Dragon → Bird → Ox → Horse → Ram → Tiger → Snake → Rat → Monkey → Hare → Boar → Dragon → Ram → Rat → Ox → Monkey → Bird → Yang Water → Rat → Boar → Bird."_

I opened my eyes, "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" a large dragon appeared behind me, pulsating with a deep water current, he hissed. Then I directed it at the Ame ninja, which it struck full force, and my boys got away just in time.

"Nice shot!" Choji laughed.

{End Flashback}

"Yeah, that's right." I replied, smiling.

"What are some other examples of the natures you can give us?" Kallera asked.

"Well Sasuke's signature jutsu, the 'Great Fireball Technique' is a high-level Fire-natured jutsu, that the Uchiha clan excelled in." I answered. "It starts by executing the following signs, Horse, Tiger or Snake, Ram or Tiger, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger." I performed the signs, showing them what they were. "Then you focus chakra up into your throat and spit it out, crating a fireball. And just like with any technique, the amount of chakra you put into it, determines its power."

"How does one determine what his or her chakra natures are?" Taio asked, in between snapping picture of me doing the hand signs.

"That's real easy, and simple." I answered, pulling out a small stack of the papers from my small duffle bag, which for some reason dad told me to bring for the next Chūnin Exam stage. "Use these slips of paper. It comes from a tree that grows by feeding on chakra." I handed each of them a slip and told them to watch me. "Now the paper will react to a different nature a different way. If someone has a water nature, like myself, then the paper becomes damp. If it's lightning, it wrinkles. Wind nature, it tears in half. Earth nature, it crumbles away. And if fire nature, it ignites then turns to ash."

As I focused my chakra into the paper to show them how it worked, the paper reacted to all five natures, in the exact order I named them. First it dampened, then wrinkled, then split, one side crumbled away and the other ignited into flames.

Iris and Tao's became damp and split in two, while Kallera's ignited and crumbled away.

"Really awesome." Iris sighed.

"Thanks for the interview sis." Kallera said, hugging me.

"Yea, thanks so much." Iris agreed.

"Can I get one final picture, maybe of you doing a water technique?" Taio asked, holding the camera.

I nodded, "Sure." I did the following three signs, Dragon → Tiger → Hare, "Water Style: Raging Waves!" I spewed a small amount of water and let it fall all around me. Fir my pose, I stood in still, a kunai in my mouth and a 'Water Summoning Scroll' in my hands.

Taio snapped the picture and smiled, "Thanks a bunch Kristin."

I slipped the kunai back in my holster and scroll back into my bag. "No problem."

"Good luck on the Chūnin Exams!" they said in unison.

* * *

I winked at them a rejoined my team. Sasuke was the last to be interviewed. His was conducted by Udon, and the article title was called, "Rival Ninja".

Sasuke explained to Udon about the ninja we've come across since starting the Chūnin Exams, elaborating on the Rookie Thirteen specifically.

"Each shinobi here is considered to be the cream of the crop." Sasuke informed.

"And I'm better than all of them." Naruto cut in.

"Shut up Naruto!" Sasuke yelled.

"Knock it off boys!" I scolded.

"Look, we just passed the first phase of the exams." Sakura reminded. "And now we're going to enter the Forest of Death for the second phase."

"I don't know what's going to be waiting for us in there, but we will get through it." I reassured. "Because my father, Kakashi-sensei, taught us to work as a team."

"And nothing can break that bond." Sakura added.

"Right?" we both asked.

"Yeah, I guess you girls are right." Sasuke sighed.

"Teamwork right!" Naruto agreed.

Taio snapped a final picture of our team before they all left.

* * *

Next time…

**Helena**: Survival, that's the next phase of the exam.

**Kristin**: Five days stuck in the Forest of Death, trying to find the second scroll. Sounds so simple, if you don't count the poisonous plants and man-eating animals that live in the forest.

**Helena**: And don't forget the other ninja teams as well.

**Kristin**: Next time- **The Chūnin Exam Stage 2: The Forest of Death!**

**Helena**: Good luck.

**Kristin**: I feel like something bad is gonna happen to us here. *gulps*.


	26. The Forest of Death

**The Chūnin Exam Stage 2: The Forest of Death!**

* * *

Ibiki glanced around the room, and smiled. "Now then, for those of you remaining, I have but one thing to tell you." he said. "Congratulations, you've all passed the first exam."

The room fell silent again, everyone in complete and utter shock.

"But as for all of you, you've passed the first stage of the exam." Ibiki said. "I now conclude this part of the Chūnin Exams, done."

I sighed in relief. _"What do you think the next exam is gonna be like?" _I asked Helena.

"_Who knows, but if we have to spend an hour in a room with her, I might snap and kill something." _Helena huffed.

Something told me that the next exam was gonna be ten times harder than the first one, I just hope my team and I, can handle it.

* * *

All of us genin were standing in front of a chain-linked fence, surrounding a thick, dense forest.

"This is the setting for the second phase of the exam." Anko answered. "It's known as the Forty-Fourth Battle Training Zone. But we call it, the Forest of Death."

"No wonder this place is so creepy." I gulped.

Anko smirked. "And pretty soon, you're gonna find out why it's called 'The Forest of Death'."

Naruto huffed and did a cheap imitation of Anko, mocking her. "Do you worst, you're not gonna scare me away!" he yelled. "I can handle anything."

The rest of us on Squad Seven sighed in annoyance.

"_He keeps up this attitude, and we're all gonna get killed." _Helena groaned.

Anko smiled and threw a kunai knife right past Naruto's face, cutting his cheek. She then appeared behind him, and whispered something in his ear, causing him to stiffen. Her mood then changed when a female grass ninja stood behind her, holding the kunai knife she threw. And to make things even more creepier, the female grass ninja held the kunai with her tongue.

"I only recommend you stand this close behind me, if you want to reach a premature end." Anko threatened, calmly, taking her kunai back.

The grass ninja retracted her tongue. "My pardon." she apologized. "With the sight of blood and your blade slicing through my hair, I guess I just got a little excited. I meant you no harm."

Well what ever she said, I made a mental note to stay out of her way. That was something Helena and I both agreed on.

Anko walked back to the front fence and faced us, "Now before we begin, I have something for you all." she held a stack of papers. "It's just a standard consent form. Before you take the next test, all of you have to read over the consent form, and then sign it."

"What for?" Naruto asked.

"Some of you might not make it back from this test, and I need your consent to that risk. Other wise it would be my responsibility." Anko answered, laughing.

She handed the stack of forms to Naruto to hand out to everyone, as she went on to explain the rules of the exam.

"Now the first thing you all should know is this exam will test every single one of your survival skills." Anko began. "Now the terrain of the practice field is quite simple, there are forty-forty locked entrance gates, there are rivers and a forest inside, a tower is in the center of the field, and is ten kilometers from each gate. It is in this contained area where you will undergo the survival test." she added. "The test consists of an anything goes battle, to get your hands on these scrolls." Anko held two scrolls, one blue and the other white, and each had a single kanji on it. "You will be fighting get your hands on both a heaven scroll and an earth scroll." the white one was heaven, and the blue was earth. "All together, twenty six teams will be taking part in this exam, so half the teams will be going after the heaven scroll, while the other half will be trying to get the earth scroll."

"Sounds simple enough, if you think about it." I muttered.

"But how do we pass the test?" Sasuke asked.

"Your entire squad must bring both a heaven and earth scroll to the tower." Anko answered.

"That means at the very least, half of us will fail." Sakura noted. "More if not all teams manage to get both scrolls."

"No one ever said it was going to be easy." Anko said. "Oh and one more thing, the test has a time limit." she added, putting the scrolls away. "You must finish within five days."

"Five days out there!" Ino screamed.

"What are we supposed to do for food?" Choji asked.

"Just look around, there's plenty in the forest to feed all of you." Anko answered.

"But that's not all it has." Kabuto added. "There are man eating beasts and posious plants in there."

"_So add on those circumstances, there is no way that even half the teams will pass." _I noted.

"_And since the days are longer and the nights are shorter, that's less time for us to rest and recover." _Helena added.

"This test is also to test your endurance behind enemy lines." Anko added. "So not all of you will be up for that challenge."

Shikamaru raised his hand, "So let's say mid-exam, can we quit?" he asked.

"Of course not!" Anko answered, glaring. "When you're in the middle of a battle you can't just say 'sorry I quit'. Well you could, but it's probably gonna get you killed." she smiled.

I placed my hand to my mouth and giggled. _"Knowing Shikamaru, he's probably complaining about how the whole Chūnin Exam thing is a real drag."_

And as if the rules weren't bad, Anko also began listing the ways we could get disqualified from this test.

"The first is simple," she began, holding up her index finger, "if all members of the team can't make it to the tower after five days." she held her middle finger next to her index finger, "Number two; if one member dies or becomes incapacitated and cannot continue." she then went on to say the most important one, "But none of you, absolutely none of you can look at the contents of both scrolls until you reach the tower."

"What happens if it pops open and we read it?" Naruto asked.

"Let me put it this way for you, young man. You. Don't. Want. To. Know." she replied, smiling. "There will be times when a ninja will be asked to carry secret documents. The scroll rule is to test your integrity." she added.

"Alright now each team take your consent forms over to that booth in exchange for your scroll." Anko pointed the booth at her right. "And I have one more piece of advice for you; just don't die!"

Wow, that was nice and cheery, not.

* * *

I found a nearby boulder and jumped to the top, setting my small bag next to me. I laid flat on my stomach with my feet above me, swinging them back and forth, my pen in my mouth. I read over the consent form, which listed all the rules Anko had stated and a warning about the dangers of the forest.

" 'If you are fully aware of the dangers of this terrain yet still want to continue, sign your name on the line below.' " I read.

I looked around the area and saw all the teams conversing. The two Chūnin working the exchange booth closed the curtain, for confidentiality purposes.

"_Everyone here is equally determined to pass this test." _I noted.

"_And that makes them our enemy." _Helena added. _"As rookies, you all have a lot to prove here."_

I glanced around and saw the rookie teams, all of them were together, and had determined looks in their eyes. Orchi and her team looked fired up and ready, Kiba had a cocky grin on his face, mirrored by Akamaru.

I gulped, _"It's just hard to think of everyone as an enemy, when they're really your closet friends." _Shikamaru and Choji came to my mind instantly. This situation I was in, made me realize it was situations like this is why I wanted to be on a team in the first place.

I sighed and laid my head in my arms, _"This really sucks." _I thought.

"_At least you got me." _Helena chided. _"When it comes to survival, my instincts are perfect. Think of me as, you're secret weapon."_

I scoffed. _"When I feel like killing someone, I'll let you know."_

I read over the form one more time. _"We've come too far to turn back now." _I thought. I put the pen to the line and signed my name 'Kristin Hatake'. "There we go." I sighed.

* * *

I jumped to the ground and leaned against the boulder, my small bag over my shoulder.

"Hey Kristin!" Choji called, him and Shikamaru walking over.

I smiled and waved back to them. Sasuke appeared beside me, spooking me.

"You ready?" he asked.

"There's no turning back now." I replied, holding up my signed form.

Shikamaru and Choji joined us, "So, you guys going through with it?" Shikamaru asked.

I held up my signed form in front of him, "I'm pretty sure I just signed my own death warrant, but, what the hell." I shrugged my shoulders.

Sasuke smirked. "You both doing it?"

Choji nodded. "Yeah, whatever. At least I brought my own snacks."

I smiled. "That's you Choji, always thinking with your stomach."

"I pity you guys." Shikamaru said. "Having to spend five days with Naruto in there."

"Don't remind me." I sulked. "If we survive this, it'll be a miracle."

"I'm sure we'll be fine, if we stay out of trouble." Sasuke said.

I scoffed, "Where the hell have you been since graduation?" I asked, glaring at him. "We can never stay out of trouble, because trouble always seems to find us. This exam being no different."

Sasuke didn't answer.

The Chūnin came from behind the curtains, calling for the teams to turn in their forms in exchange for their scrolls.

"See you boys in five days." I said, waving my hand.

"Come on Kris, we better find the other two." Sasuke told me, walking ahead.

I went to follow, but stopped. I then spun on my heels and wrapped my arms around both Choji and Shikamaru, hugging them. They, in return, hugged back.

"Be careful, okay guys?" I told them.

"Sure thing." Choji said, rubbing my back.

"You be careful too, and we'll see you at the tower." Shikamaru added.

I smiled and pulled away, looking in their eyes. Before I left to join my team, I gave each boy a kiss on the cheek, for good luck. "See you at the tower guys." I promised.

* * *

Sasuke and I rejoined with Naruto and Sakura, and the four of us went into the booth. We turned in our consent forms and received a heaven scroll, which Naruto placed in his ninja pouch.

"Now go to any of the forty-four gates and wait until they're opened." the Chūnin told us.

We nodded and went to gate number 12.

"Bring it on enemy ninja." Naruto said, punching the air. "I'll just send it back, twice as hard!"

"_I just hope we can survive this." _I gulped.

At roughly two-thirty, all the gates opened. "All right, heads up you maggots!" Anko yelled. "The second part of the test has begun!"

* * *

We walked through our gate, the Forest of Death awaited us.

"Here we go guys!" Naruto cheered.

"Let's get this thing started." I said.

And the four of us walked forward, into the Forest of Death. We walked for about five minutes, then screams caught our attention.

"That sounded like someone screaming." Sakura whispered.

"It was." I told her. "Only what could've happened to make them scream like that?"

"_Well remember, there are man-eating beasts in this forest." _Helena said.

"_Thanks for the reminder." _I grunted.

"I do not like this place." Sakura murmured.

"Ah, come on. There's nothing to be scared of, this is gonna be a piece of cake." Naruto chuckled. He then walked over to the nearest bush, "Just a second, I gotta, you know-"

Sakura banged him over the head, "Oh no you don't!" she scolded. "What is this a kettle?"

"Not in front of us Naruto." I added. "Find a bush or something, that way." I pointed to the tree.

"Yeesh, whatever." he said.

Sakura and I glared at him and he hurried off.

I shivered, _"That was totally inappropriate." _

"_I'm surprised he didn't piss his pants when you both yelled at him." _Helena chuckled.

I rolled my eyes, this was going to be a long five days.

* * *

A couple minutes later, Naruto returned, buckling his pants back up. "Man that was a lot, I wrote my whole name." he chuckled.

"You are such a pig!" I yelled.

"You can be really disgusting sometimes Naruto." Sakura added.

Then, for no reason at all, Sasuke decked Naruto right in the jaw, sending him flying into a tree.

"Sasuke? What was that all about?" I asked. "It wasn't that bad."

"Don't you think you're going overboard?" Sakura asked.

"Better watch out girls, I think he's gone crazy." Naruto said, wiping blood from his mouth.

"You wish." Sasuke rebuked. "I just struck before you could."

And the two boys began fighting. Sasuke gained the upper hand, and all Sakura and I did was watch. They both jumped back after blocking each other's kunai attacks.

"Sasuke, what's going on?" Sakura asked.

"Take a good look at him." Sasuke replied, looking at Naruto. "Now talk, what have you done with Naruto?"

"Huh?" Sakura and I asked in unison.

"What do you mean? I am Naruto." said Naruto.

"Then where's the cut on your cheek?" Sasuke asked.

Then it donned on me. Before the exam started, Anko threw kunai, cutting Naruto's face. This Naruto didn't have a cut.

"You also have your shuriken holster on your left leg, not your right." Sasuke added. "When the real Naruto is right handed."

The transformation jutsu broke and the 'Naruto' turned out to be a Hidden Rain ninja. "So what, I'm still gonna take your scroll." he said. "Now hand it over, or else."

Sakura and I whipped out our own kunai and were ready to fight.

"So which one of you weaklings have it?" asked the Ame ninja. When we didn't answer, he added, "Fine, then I guess I'll have to take you both out." and he charged for us.

Sasuke, Sakura, and I stood ready. Let the survival part, begin.

* * *

Next time…

**Kristin**: Well that's just great, we've been in the forest all of five minutes and we're already being targeted by an enemy ninja.

**Helena**: Well this is why they called it a survival test.

**Kristin**: And if the Ame ninja wasn't bad enough, just who is this Kusagakure Kunoichi with the weird tongue thing? When I look into her eyes, it's like I'm paralyzed.

**Helena**: Hate to break it to ya, but we are paralyzed.

**Kristin**: What? Oh my God, you're right. Who, or what is she?

**Helena **and **Kristin**: Next time- **Eat or Be Eaten: Panic in the Forest!**

**Helena**: Whatever this shinobi is, she's not entirely human.


	27. Panic in the Forest

**Eat or Be Eaten: Panic in the Forest!**

* * *

At roughly two-thirty, all the gates opened. "All right, heads up you maggots!" Anko yelled. "The second part of the test has begun!"

We walked through our gate, the Forest of Death awaited us.

"Here we go guys!" Naruto cheered.

"Let's get this thing started." I said.

And the four of us walked forward, into the Forest of Death. We walked for about five minutes, then screams caught our attention.

"That sounded like someone screaming." Sakura whispered.

"It was." I told her. "Only what could've happened to make them scream like that?"

"_Well remember, there are man-eating beasts in this forest." _Helena said.

"_Thanks for the reminder." _I grunted.

"I do not like this place." Sakura murmured.

"Ah, come on. There's nothing to be scared of, this is gonna be a piece of cake." Naruto chuckled. He then walked over to the nearest bush, "Just a second, I gotta, you know-"

Sakura banged him over the head, "Oh no you don't!" she scolded. "What is this a kettle?"

"Not in front of us Naruto." I added. "Find a bush or something, that way." I pointed to the tree.

"Yeesh, whatever." he said.

Sakura and I glared at him and he hurried off.

I shivered, _"That was totally inappropriate." _

"_I'm surprised he didn't piss his pants when you both yelled at him." _Helena chuckled.

I rolled my eyes, this was going to be a long five days.

A couple minutes later, Naruto returned, buckling his pants back up. "Man that was a lot, I wrote my whole name." he chuckled.

"You are such a pig!" I yelled.

"You can be really disgusting sometimes Naruto." Sakura added.

Then, for no reason at all, Sasuke decked Naruto right in the jaw, sending him flying into a tree.

"Sasuke? What was that all about?" I asked. "It wasn't that bad."

"Don't you think you're going overboard?" Sakura asked.

"Better watch out girls, I think he's gone crazy." Naruto said, wiping blood from his mouth.

"You wish." Sasuke rebuked. "I just struck before you could."

And the two boys began fighting. Sasuke gained the upper hand, and all Sakura and I did was watch. They both jumped back after blocking each other's kunai attacks.

"Sasuke, what's going on?" Sakura asked.

"Take a good look at him." Sasuke replied, looking at Naruto. "Now talk, what have you done with Naruto?"

"Huh?" Sakura and I asked in unison.

"What do you mean? I am Naruto." said Naruto.

"Then where's the cut on your cheek?" Sasuke asked.

Then it donned on me. Before the exam started, Anko threw kunai, cutting Naruto's face. This Naruto didn't have a cut.

"You also have your shuriken holster on your left leg, not your right." Sasuke added. "When the real Naruto is right handed."

The transformation jutsu broke and the 'Naruto' turned out to be a Hidden Rain ninja. "So what, I'm still gonna take your scroll." he said. "Now hand it over, or else."

Sakura and I whipped out our own kunai and were ready to fight.

"So which one of you weaklings have it?" asked the Ame ninja. When we didn't answer, he added, "Fine, then I guess I'll have to take you both out." and he charged for us.

Sasuke, Sakura, and I stood ready. Let the survival part begin.

* * *

The Ame ninja came at us, and we dodged last second. Sasuke jumped in the air and did a series of hand signs, Rat-Tiger-Dog-Ox-Rabbit-Tiger.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu." he yelled, firing small fireballs at the Ame ninja.

Then the two clashed kunai knives in mid air, right above Sakura and myself. The Ame ninja tried to escape, but Sasuke followed him, keeping a close tail.

"Come on, he might need backup." I said to Sakura.

"Right." she replied, nodding.

We both trailed after Sasuke, and when we came across the battle, the Ame ninja was behind him. But Naruto showed up just in time, to toss Sasuke a kunai knife, which he flung at the Ame ninja with his foot. As the Ame ninja dodged, Sasuke stabbed his shoulder with another kunai.

"Nice shot Sasuke!" Sakura and I called.

"Don't just stand there you two, chances are this guy's not alone." Sasuke said. "Watch out, the others could strike at any second." Sasuke pulled the kunai knife from the Ame ninja's shoulder, blood dripped from the wound.

"I wish. I came alone in hopes not to arouse suspicion." he said, covering his wound. "Big mistake." then he turned around and retreated.

* * *

We sat in a circle, the four of us.

"That proves we can't just trust appearances." Sasuke pointed out. "We need to think of a way to prove that each of us is who we say we are, and not just some imposter using a transformation jutsu."

We all nodded.

"So what will we do?" Sakura asked.

"We need a password." Sasuke answered.

"What kind of password?" Naruto asked.

"A secret one. That's known only to the four of us." Sasuke answered. "And we don't trust anyone who doesn't know it."

"So what kind are talking about here?" I asked. "Just a simple word, or a riddle? What?"

Sasuke sighed. "I have one in mind, now listen closely because I only want to say this once." he looked at each one of us. "The question will be 'When does a ninja strike?' and the answer will be 'A ninja waits until the time is right, when the enemy sleeps and drops his guard. When his weapons lay forgotten in the stillness of the night, that is the moment for a ninja to strike.'"

So it was a security question, very cleaver. Of course, I never expected anything less from Sasuke.

"So do you guys got it?" he asked.

"I got it." Sakura answered.

"Me too." I added.

"You got one, a little shorter?" Naruto asked, clearly confused.

"No Naruto." Sasuke sighed. "That's it."

Sakura scoffed, "Come on Naruto didn't you get it? I memorized it easy."

I nodded, "It's a perfect password, a security question that will prove we're the real deal."

"Okay, okay. I got it." Naruto sighed. "I just thought it was going to be a pass-WORD, not a pass-SPEECH."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"_It's only been thirty minutes and he's already on my last nerve." _Helena growled.

Just as we stood up, a gust of wind blew just south four location.

"What is that?" Naruto asked, his other cheek getting a scratch as well.

The gust grew bigger, nearly blowing us all away. I held my arms up defensively and saw the green trims begin to fray, and my knuckles got scraped on them. That's when I figured it out, we were being attacked by a shinobi who uses Wind-Style jutsu.

* * *

To keep from getting anymore cuts, I dove into the bushes, seeking cover.

"Whoever is unleashing that jutsu, is one strong shinobi." I breathed.

"_No kidding, and the chakra I felt coming from that jutsu, made my fur stand on end." _Helena said. _"Be on your guard Kristin, something tells me that we're in for a fight here pretty soon."_

I gulped. The jutsu broke a second later. Sighing, I stood up and wiped the dirt from my skirt and top, and picked the leaves out of my hair.

* * *

I found Sakura and Sasuke not far from where I was.

"Sasuke! Sakura!" I yelled.

Sakura held her kunai ready, "Stop right there!" she ordered, making me freeze. "Answer the question, when does a ninja strike?"

"A ninja waits until the time is right, when the enemy sleeps and drops his guard. When his weapons lay forgotten in the stillness of the night, that is the moment for a ninja to strike." I answered.

Sasuke sighed. "Good."

"Kristin, what was that?" Sakura asked me.

"My best guess, some wind technique." I answered, walking over to her.

"Hey! You guys!" came Naruto's voice. He then ran over to us, "You guys alright?"

"Stay right there!" I ordered, digging out my own kunai. "What's the password? When does a ninja strike."

Naruto smiled. "Sure no problem. A ninja waits till the time is right, when the enemy sleeps and drops his guard. When his weapons lay forgotten in the stillness of the night, that is the moment for a ninja to strike." he answered, smiling.

I lowered my kunai and sighed.

Sasuke smirked and threw a kunai at Naruto, who dodged it. "What the hell was that? You could've killed me!" he shrieked.

"I gotta hand it to ya, you're quicker than the last one." Sasuke said.

"What are you talking about Sasuke?" I asked. "What's wrong?"

"He just got the password right word for word." Sakura added.

"Exactly, that's what's wrong." Sasuke pointed out. "You really expect Naruto could memorize all that? And get it word for word?"

"Oh yeah, you have a point there." I agreed.

"Not the Naruto I know, not in a million years." Sasuke added. "We have a better chance teaching the password to a hamster."

"Good point." Sakura agreed.

"Besides, you both saw how this guy dodged my attack, that was defiantly not a Naruto move." Sasuke said.

'Naruto' chuckled, and it sounded nearly feminine. "My, aren't we the cleaver one?" he/she said. The transformation jutsu broke and it was revealed to be the same Hidden Grass ninja from earlier, the real creepy one.

"Tell me, if your teammate is really that dimwitted why did you come up with a password he'll never be able to remember?" she asked.

"It wasn't meant so much for Naruto, but for anyone else who might be eavesdropping on us." Sasuke answered. "It was meant as a trap and you fell right into it."

The grass ninja licked her lips, "Well, you haven't dropped your guard, have you?" she cooed. "This promises to be a very interesting fight."

"_This chick gives a new definition to the word 'creepy'." _I thought.

"_I'm sensing an almost evil vibe from her." _Helena told me. _"Watch yourself, she might just try and kill us."_

I gulped.

The Kusagakure ninja pulled one of the scrolls from her ninja pouch, which turned out to be an Earth scroll, which is just what we needed. Sakura gasped lightly, giving away it was the scroll we needed.

"Ah, this would go so nicely with your heaven scroll." giggled the Kusa ninja. She then wrapped her, inhumanly long tongue around the scroll and shoved it down her throat, swallowing it.

I shivered, feeling the hair on my neck stand on end. Every rational thought I had told me to get the hell outta there, but for some strange reason, I couldn't move my feet.

The grass Kunoichi licked her lips, "Now when this is all over, one of us will have both scrolls." she placed her left hand up to her left eye, and pulled the bottom lid down, revealing her eyeball. "And the other will be dead." she added.

Once I looked into her eyes, I saw something. A powerful wind jutsu, tearing at my skin, and then a flash, a kunai was thrown right at my forehead.

I gasped and collapsed onto the ground, panting and shivering._ "I just saw my own death. What the hell is she?" _I thought. I was so frozen, nothing else registered to me, not even Helena's voice inside of my own subconscious mind.

The only thing I could register was that this, demoness or whatever she was, was moving closer to us, three kunai in her hand. My mind was telling me to move, or maybe it was Helena's voice screaming at me to move, but I couldn't, I was paralyzed with fear.

* * *

The next thing I knew, I felt a sharp pain in my left hand. Then, I was lifted up off the ground and moved away from that she-demon.

I yanked the kunai knife out of my hand, blood poured from the puncture wound.

"We have to clean that up or it'll get infected." Sakura told me.

"I have bandages in the bag." I told her.

Sakura unzipped my small bag and wrapped my hand in a thick layer of bandages, making sure it was thick enough to last a while.

I knew it was the only thing to do, but it still hurt. In order to break free of the paralysis, Sasuke stabbed his own leg and my hand. He then moved me and Sakura to a safe spot from the demon grass Kunoichi. He was breathing heavily, the kunai knife still on his thigh.

"Oh Sasuke." Sakura whimpered.

"_Using pain to break free, cleaver." _I thought. My hand still stung, but it was worth it, to be away from whatever she was.

"That wound's deep." Sakura pointed out.

"Sasuke, are you gonna be alright?" I asked.

Sasuke clamped his hands over our mouths, using the trunk of the tree for support. He was shaking, he was visibly scared.

"_I've never seen him like this, I hope he'll be okay." _I thought.

My eyes darted to a shadow that loomed over us. When I got a clear shot, I saw it was a giant snake.

I gripped Sasuke's wrist, struggling to warn him. My pleas, as well as Sakura's were muffled. I finally tore Sasuke's hand away from my mouth, "Sasuke! Behind us!" I yelled.

* * *

He turned just as the snake was about to clamp its mouth over us. Sasuke went one direction, and Sakura and I went another.

"What the hell is that?" Sakura whimpered.

"A giant snake!" I screamed. "Why did it have to be a giant Snake of all things!" I could feel my sanity slowly slipping away.

If I ever survive the five days in this forest, I hope it's with my sanity in tact, if not, I'm gonna go mad.

Sasuke threw miniature shuriken at the snake, slicing its throat open, killing it. He landed on a high branch, catching his breath. I also noticed his Sharingan was activated.

Cracks started appearing in the snake's skin, and the grass Kunoichi from before, came from them.

"A prey must never let down its guard, not even for a moment." she chuckled, darkly. "Especially when it's in the presence of its predator." her tongue fell from her mouth and she licked her lips.

Then the upper half of her body became rubber-like and she spiraled up the tree towards Sasuke.

Just as she was about to reach her target, kunai and shuriken blocked her path.

"Looks like I came just in time." came Naruto's voice.

We all looked up and saw him standing on some higher branches.

"Naruto!" Sakura and I giggled, in relief.

"Oh and by the way." Naruto said, standing with his arms folded. "what was that password again?"

That was when I knew it was the real Naruto.

* * *

Next time…

**Kristin**: I never thought I would happy to see Naruto. Now I just hope that he's here, we can try to make it out of this alive. I hate to say this, but it's up to him and Sasuke to beat this Kusa ninja, I just hope they survive the battle.

Next time: **Naruto's Counterattack: Never Give In!**

Come on Naruto, beat this creep. Wow, did I really just say that?


	28. Counterattack

**Naruto's Counterattack: Never Give In!**

* * *

"That proves we can't just trust appearances." Sasuke pointed out. "We need to think of a way to prove that each of us is who we say we are, and not just some imposter using a transformation jutsu."

We all nodded.

"So what will we do?" Sakura asked.

"We need a password." Sasuke answered.

"What kind of password?" Naruto asked.

"A secret one. That's known only to the four of us." Sasuke answered. "And we don't trust anyone who doesn't know it."

"So what kind are talking about here?" I asked. "Just a simple word, or a riddle? What?"

Sasuke sighed. "I have one in mind, now listen closely because I only want to say this once." he looked at each one of us. "The question will be 'When does a ninja strike?' and the answer will be 'A ninja waits until the time is right, when the enemy sleeps and drops his guard. When his weapons lay forgotten in the stillness of the night, that is the moment for a ninja to strike.'"

So it was a security question, very cleaver. Of course, I never expected anything less from Sasuke.

Just as we stood up, a gust of wind blew just south four location.

"What is that?" Naruto asked, his other cheek getting a scratch as well.

The gust grew bigger, nearly blowing us all away. I held my arms up defensively and saw the green trims begin to fray, and my knuckles got scraped on them. That's when I figured it out, we were being attacked by a shinobi who uses Wind-Style jutsu.

To keep from getting anymore cuts, I dove into the bushes, seeking cover.

"Whoever is unleashing that jutsu, is one strong shinobi." I breathed.

"_No kidding, and the chakra I felt coming from that jutsu, made my fur stand on end." _Helena said. _"Be on your guard Kristin, something tells me that we're in for a fight here pretty soon."_

I gulped. The jutsu broke a second later. Sighing, I stood up and wiped the dirt from my skirt and top, and picked the leaves out of my hair.

* * *

The Kusagakure ninja pulled one of the scrolls from her ninja pouch, which turned out to be an Earth scroll, which is just what we needed. Sakura gasped lightly, giving away it was the scroll we needed.

"Ah, this would go so nicely with your heaven scroll." giggled the Kusa ninja. She then wrapped her, inhumanly long tongue around the scroll and shoved it down her throat, swallowing it.

I shivered, feeling the hair on my neck stand on end. Every rational thought I had told me to get the hell outta there, but for some strange reason, I couldn't move my feet.

The grass Kunoichi licked her lips, "Now when this is all over, one of us will have both scrolls." she placed her left hand up to her left eye, and pulled the bottom lid down, revealing her eyeball. "And the other will be dead." she added.

Once I looked into her eyes, I saw something. A powerful wind jutsu, tearing at my skin, and then a flash, a kunai was thrown right at my forehead.

I gasped and collapsed onto the ground, panting and shivering._ "I just saw my own death. What the hell is she?" _I thought. I was so frozen, nothing else registered to me, not even Helena's voice inside of my own subconscious mind.

The only thing I could register was that this, demoness or whatever she was, was moving closer to us, three kunai in her hand. My mind was telling me to move, or maybe it was Helena's voice screaming at me to move, but I couldn't, I was paralyzed with fear.

The next thing I knew, I felt a sharp pain in my left hand. Then, I was lifted up off the ground and moved away from that she-demon.

* * *

I gripped Sasuke's wrist, struggling to warn him. My pleas, as well as Sakura's were muffled. I finally tore Sasuke's hand away from my mouth, "Sasuke! Behind us!" I yelled.

He turned just as the snake was about to clamp its mouth over us. Sasuke went one direction, and Sakura and I went another.

"What the hell is that?" Sakura whimpered.

"A giant snake!" I screamed. "Why did it have to be a giant Snake of all things!" I could feel my sanity slowly slipping away.

If I ever survive the five days in this forest, I hope it's with my sanity in tact, if not, I'm gonna go mad.

Sasuke threw miniature shuriken at the snake, slicing its throat open, killing it. He landed on a high branch, catching his breath. I also noticed his Sharingan was activated.

Cracks started appearing in the snake's skin, and the grass Kunoichi from before, came from them.

"A prey must never let down its guard, not even for a moment." she chuckled, darkly. "Especially when it's in the presence of its predator." her tongue fell from her mouth and she licked her lips.

Then the upper half of her body became rubber-like and she spiraled up the tree towards Sasuke.

Just as she was about to reach her target, kunai and shuriken blocked her path.

"Looks like I came just in time." came Naruto's voice.

We all looked up and saw him standing on some higher branches.

"Naruto!" Sakura and I giggled, in relief.

"Oh and by the way." Naruto said, standing with his arms folded. "what was that password again?"

That was when I knew it was the real Naruto. And boy, was I glad to see him.

* * *

"No really, what was the password again?" Naruto asked.

"Forget it, we know it's you." Sakura huffed.

"You showed up at the last minute, that's kinda you're thing." I added.

Sakura and I were happy to see Naruto, but Sasuke wasn't.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with!" Sasuke yelled. "Get out of here while you still can, hurry!"

The grass ninja had a blank expression on her face. "Well Naruto, it appears you escaped from my little friend." she chuckled.

Naruto stood on the branch, arms folded. "I have no idea what's going on here, but you've been hurting my friends and I don't like that."

"_Either he's brave or stupid." _Helena huffed.

Sasuke stood absolutely still, and I didn't know if that was good or bad. It wasn't until he deactivated his Sharingan, that I knew he was giving up. He reached back to his ninja pouch, and took our Heaven scroll out of it.

"You can have it. It is what you want, right?" Sasuke said, holding the scroll. "Just take it and leave us in peace."

Sakura, Naruto, and I gasped in unison.

"Sasuke, what the hell are you doing?" Naruto yelled. "You're just gonna hand the scroll over to the enemy?!"

"Shut up! You don't know anything about it!" Sasuke yelled back.

The grass ninja chuckled. "Very cleaver, very sensible." she cooed. "Sometimes the pray, in hopes to save its own skin, distracts its predator with something even more valuable."

Sasuke tossed the scroll to the grass ninja but it was intercepted by Naruto, who landed in between Sasuke and our enemy.

"Stop trying to be the hero! You don't know what you're doing!" Sasuke berated. But it was cut off by Naruto punching Sasuke in the jaw, sending him to the next branch over.

"_Damn." _Helena muttered.

Naruto stood panting, staring at Sasuke. "I may not know the password, but I know who I am." he said. "You're the one I'm not sure about."

"Don't be stupid Naruto!" Sakura called. "It's really him."

"What are you saying you looser?" Sasuke asked. "It's really me."

"You may look like Sasuke, and may even sound like him." Naruto said. "But there's no way you're the Sasuke I know."

Sakura and I gasped.

"You say I have no idea what's going on, but I do." Naruto went on. "You've choked that's what's going on. When did Sasuke become a coward? "

The grass ninja chuckled. "Sad but true." she grinned and licked her lips, sending me, as well as Sasuke and Sakura, into yet another paralyzed state.

The grass ninja pulled up her sleeve, revealing a black seal on her forearm. She bit her thumb and slid the blood down on the seal, then she performed a set of hand signs, Boar → Dog → Bird → Monkey → Ram, the summoning technique from what I have read.

Apparently, she had a contract with snakes, seeing as she summoned a snake, and it attacked Naruto.

He landed on a tree branch and caught his breath. The Kusa Kunoichi stood on her snake's head, chuckling. "What a tasty little meal you'll make for him." she cooed. "But, be careful. He does like to play with his food."

The snake swung his tail and broke the branch Naruto was on. He barely dodged it, but he hit another branch, and he coughed up blood.

"Naruto!" the three of screamed in unison.

* * *

Everything seemed to move in slow motion then. My heart thudded in my chest as I was watching my teammate fall to his death. But then, his eyes opened, and they weren't the normal blue like they always were. Instead they were red, with a slitted pupil. And his expression was more feral. Naruto then began punching the snake in the snout, over and over again.

"Man, he's gone nuts." Sakura gasped.

"That can't really be Naruto, can it?" I asked aloud.

"_Kurama's chakra seems to be seeping through again, giving Naruto an extra boost of power." _Helena noted.

Once Naruto got closer to the grass ninja, she blew a fire jutsu at him, capturing him in the flame.

"Naruto!" we all screamed.

Naruto fell through a few branches before finally landing on one of them, and laying still. With Naruto apparently out of the way, the grass ninja turned her sights on Sasuke, who still looked paralyzed.

"Sasuke!" Sakura screamed.

The snake and ninja edged closer and closer, but Naruto intercepted just in time, stabbing the snake with two kunai knives. Naruto stood between Sasuke and the grass ninja.

"Nice save." I sighed.

Naruto panted, then he looked right in Sasuke's eyes, and quoted him, "Hey, you're not hurt are ya? Scardy cat."

I quickly flashed back to the Land of Waves mission when Sasuke said the exact same thing to Naruto, after the two Chūnin attacked us.

* * *

However, the revenge was cut short when Naruto was lifted up by the grass ninja, via her tongue, and held Naruto above the ground. She inched her face closer to Naruto's, and her finger tips were covered by purple chakra flames. Using the tip of her tongue, she lifted the top of Naruto's jumpsuit, and I saw a spiral pattern with a sealing jutsu formula around it.

"_That looks similar to the sealing formula that was around my seal." _Helena said.

The grass ninja slammed her fingers into Naruto's stomach, and another jutsu formula appeared where her fingers hit.

"_The Five Elements Seal." _Helena gaped. _"I don't think this is a real grass ninja. I thing she's an imposter who probably killed her and her team before they entered the exams." _

I gulped. I wanted to move my body, I really did. But, for some reason, I was afraid. Afraid that if I fought thins ninja one on one, I would surely die. And I've come too far to die in this place, I've come too far and trained too hard, to die a genin.

"Sasuke! Do something!" Sakura called.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one who was paralyzed. Sasuke didn't move at all.

Naruto fell unconscious, still in the grip of the shinobi's tongue. She took the scroll from Naruto's pouch, and held it. Probably thinking a load of dead weight was useless, the grass ninja tossed Naruto aside, his body aiming towards a tree.

"_There's no way he'll survive that fall." _I thought. And as much as I wanted to move to help, I couldn't. _"I'm sorry Naruto."_ I cried.

"_Oh, and this is why you have me." _I heard Helena say.

* * *

Then, I felt the tingling sensation all over my body. My eyes darted to my hands and I saw the marks creep up my arm again, just like on the bridge back in the Land of Waves.

My hands suddenly moved, executing a sequence of hand signs, Snake-Dragon-Rat-Dog-Snake, "Earth Style: Dragon Branch!" I slammed my hand down in front of me and a branch emerged from the trunk, making a platform for Naruto to fall on.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one thinking for her teammate, Sakura tossed a kunai and it pinned Naruto to the tree trunk, long enough to hold him there until my jutsu kicked in.

"_You're welcome for the save." _Helena huffed.

"Sasuke!" Sakura called.

I clenched my fists, the crimson markings covering any open skin. "What's wrong with you!" I yelled. I turned to face him, and saw he was frozen, fear in his eyes.

"_Damn." _Helena breathed. _"He's totally freaked."_

"_Sasuke?" _I questioned.

The Sasuke I knew would never stand scared, he wasn't afraid of anything. After his clan was massacred those years ago, he's never shed a single tear. Not once has he cried, or shown any emotion since that night.

"Okay, say what you want about Naruto." Sakura yelled. "That he's a pest, that he gets in the way, that he's just a kid."

"But at least he's doing something." I added. I closed my eyes, suppressing the tears I felt coming. "At least, he's no coward!"

My hands clenched into fists. We weren't even in the forest ten minutes, and we were already made a target by one of the creepiest ninja in the Chūnin exams. One of my teammates is unconscious and looks like road kill, and the other is frozen stiff in the heat of battle. And the only thing Sakura and I can do is watch, and that killed me inside.

But then, I sensed a spike in chakra, and I looked up and saw Sasuke had activated his Sharingan, and suddenly, I wished I could retract the coward statement.

"_Looks like our boy's back in the game." _Helena chuckled.

I just hoped that we would survive this.

* * *

Next time…

**Helena**: This ninja showed us the moment of our deaths if we continued on with this fight. But it seems Sasuke has found the inspiration he needed to continue on and to try to survive it anyway. With the Uchiha blood in his veins, he can win this fight. But, there is something off about the enemy that still escapes me. I just hope that I'm wrong.

Next time: **The Sharingan Revived, Dragon-Flame Jutsu!**

I just hope he knows what he's getting into, otherwise, Kristin and her team, are royally screwed.

* * *

**A/N: **Alright, I'm getting close to introducing the first main antagonist of the series, which he does serve the same purpose in this story, and I'm super excited! I hope you guys enjoy and look forward to the future chapters^^

XOXO~Cyber


	29. Dragon Flame Jutsu

**The Sharingan Revived, Dragon-Flame Jutsu!**

* * *

The Sasuke I knew would never stand scared, he wasn't afraid of anything. After his clan was massacred those years ago, he's never shed a single tear. Not once has he cried, or shown any emotion since that night.

"Okay, say what you want about Naruto." Sakura yelled. "That he's a pest, that he gets in the way, that he's just a kid."

"But at least he's doing something." I added. I closed my eyes, suppressing the tears I felt coming. "At least, he's no coward!"

My hands clenched into fists. We weren't even in the forest ten minutes, and we were already made a target by one of the creepiest ninja in the Chūnin exams. One of my teammates is unconscious and looks like road kill, and the other is frozen stiff in the heat of battle. And the only thing Sakura and I can do is watch, and that killed me inside.

But then, I sensed a spike in chakra, and I looked up and saw Sasuke had activated his Sharingan, and suddenly, I wished I could retract the coward statement.

"_Looks like our boy's back in the game." _Helena chuckled.

I just hoped that we would survive this.

* * *

Sasuke whipped out a kunai knife and held it between his teeth, charging towards the Kusa demon. If the seal wasn't activated, I probably wouldn't have been able to see every attack that each ninja threw. Sasuke threw punches left and right, only to be blocked by the grass ninja.

But she was no slow poke either, her moves were quicker than the naked eye could follow. If it wasn't for Sasuke's Sharingan, than he might not be a match for her, but the two were fighting on nearly equal ground.

Once he got the visual he needed, Sasuke unleashed a barrage of fire attacks. The flames lit the forest in some areas, but the grass demon kept dodging them.

"_Damn, she's fast." _Helena thought. _"I wonder if Sasuke can keep up with her."_

I was wondering the exact same thing.

* * *

As the seconds past, the fight grew more and more intense. My eyes followed each and every move, focused on Sasuke. He dodged the grass ninja's attacks with precision, gaining upper advantages.

But the grass ninja had tricks of her own, like her powerful wind technique that could level the whole forest if she desired. She used that technique to try and catch Sasuke off guard, but since he had his Sharingan activated, that was damn near impossible.

"_You do realize we'll be severed into pieces of that wind jutsu hits us, right?" _Helena said.

The grass ninja used the technique once more. I blinked and suddenly felt a rush of power.

"Sakura, let's get to another spot, where we'll be safe." I told her, grabbing her wrist.

She nodded in agreement and we jumped from the branch, right before is was destroyed.

I followed Sasuke's movements as he swung to a different spot, catching the grass ninja off guard.

"Wow, amazing." Sakura sighed.

"No joke." I agreed.

* * *

In the midst of the fight, Sasuke caught the grass ninja off guard long enough to use a technique that I knew to be called the Peregrine Falcon Drop, a move I remember being discussed about in our taijutsu class at the Academy.

Judging from the impact made by the technique, it looked like Sasuke had won the fight. But, it ended up being a earth style substitution, meaning it wasn't the real ninja Sasuke had beaten.

"Sasuke!" Sakura called.

I gulped, "Just what kind of demon is she?" I asked aloud, not really expecting an answer.

I leaned against the trunk for support, and noticed I was leaning on something soft. I turned my head and gasped, my hands and arms were completely black, covered in fur.

"_You seem to be affected by that paralysis more than normal, so I gave you some of my power to counteract it." _Helena said. _"So thank me for saving you ass, or now I guess, tail."_

I glanced back and saw that I did indeed, have a tail. Judging from the form I was in, Helena advanced the seal to Stage Two, the half-beast stage. My senses were heightened, so I could hear, see, and smell things from a farther distance.

* * *

The grass ninja approached Sasuke, who was laying on the tree branch. "What a disappointment you turned out to be." she chuckled. "You're ancestors weep."

Sasuke's eyes opened, Sharingan still activated, and three little bombs went off behind the grass ninja, catching her off balance. Then, Sasuke jumped up, and threw shuriken at the enemy, with wire attached to them, making them easier to control. A technique that came to be known as the Windmill Triple Attack, a very simple technique really.

The user first attaches strings beforehand onto the tossed shuriken and the kunai thrown after it, then one shuriken is pulled back using a tree as an axis, based on the yo-yo's principle. The other shuriken and kunai are decoys, and the true attack is the shuriken that is pulled back using the force of the thrown kunai. The trick in making this technique successful is to somehow be able to read the enemy's movements, which normally would require the Sharingan.

"_Cleaver move on Sasuke's part." _Helena chuckled.

My tail wagged, "Nice one Sasuke." I muttered.

The wire tied our little grass demon to the tree trunk, keeping her there, right where Sasuke wanted her. He held the wire clenched in his teeth, and did a sequence if four signs, Snake → Dragon → Rabbit → Tiger, another powerful Fire technique.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!" Sasuke yelled, as a powerful fire raced down the wire, right for the grass ninja. The flame was so intense it burned right through the tree itself, charring it.

"He did it." Sakura giggled.

I blinked, "Incredible." I gasped. "That was awesome."

"No one can beat Sasuke!" Sakura cheered. The two of us slapped a high five and laughed.

* * *

We joined Sasuke down where he was, as he was catching his breath.

"It's alright Sasuke, you defeated her." I told him. "That was great."

"Of course we never doubted you for a second." Sakura added.

However, the grass ninja was still alive, even after the Dragon Flame technique. I smelt the scent of rotting flesh and turned towards it, only to see a golden-yellow eye with a slit pupil a light purple marks around it. Then, I felt another paralyzing sensation, but I could still move, if only a little.

"What the hell?" Helena's voice came out of my mouth.

"Such mastery of the Sharingan at so young an age." said the grass ninja, only her voice became deeper as she continued to speak. "You are defiantly of the Uchiha blood." he continued.

"_That voice." _I shuddered.

"It can't be." Helena gasped.

"Yes you are defiantly his brother." he continued to say. "If anything, your eyes are even keener than Itatchi's."

I gasped, how could he know about him? Just who was this guy?

"Who are you!? What do you want?" Sasuke yelled.

The strange ninja, who's headband symbol had changed from the Kusa symbol, to the Oto symbol, the Hidden Sound symbol, held up the scroll he took from Naruto. "My name is Orochimaru." he introduced, igniting our Heaven scroll. "As for what I want, you'll figure it out when you finish this test with the best score of all."

"The scroll." Sakura and I gasped.

"First you will have to defeat the three Sound ninja who serve me." Orochimaru added.

"We have no idea what you're talking about!" I screamed.

"If you're finished with us, then beat it!" Sakura added.

I clenched my hands into fists, "If we ever meet again it'll be too soon." I growled.

"Oh I assure you, he and I will meet again." Orochimaru chuckled, forming a hand sign that was unfamiliar to me. Then, he neck became like rubber and he latched his fangs right into Sasuke's neck.

Sakura and I gasped in unison, "Sasuke!"

Orochimaru pulled away, smiling and licking his lips. I looked at Sasuke's neck and right above the two fang marks, appeared three black tomoe in a circle.

"_The Cursed Seal of Heaven." _Helena gasped, her spirit backing away into my subconscious mind.

"What?" I asked her, following her there.

* * *

I again found myself in my subconscious, speaking with Helena. She leaned against the dark wall, her arms folded around herself.

"Answer me!" I yelled at her. "What is this 'Cursed Seal of Heaven'?" I asked.

Helena shivered. "It's a high level technique, known as Juinjutsu, or 'Cursed Seal Techniques'." she answered, gulping. "It's a type of technique used to bring someone under the control of the user. By applying a seal to the victim's body, the user brings the victim's abilities and actions under his/her control. With a simple secret hand seal, the user can inflict great mental and physical torment on the victim. The exact workings of juinjutsu are kept secret."

Now it was my turn to gulp. "How do you know this?"

"Because it was juinjutsu that gave me the seal of the wolf demon." Helena answered.

"What's gonna happen to Sasuke now?" I asked, tears welling in my eyes.

Tears were also welling in Helena's, and she wouldn't answer me.

"What did you do to Sasuke?" Sakura's voice echoed.

* * *

As soon as I heard Orochimaru's chuckle, I snapped back to reality. "I just gave him a parting gift." he said. "Pretty soon, Sasuke will seek me out, desiring more power. In meantime, I enjoyed seeing the powers he already posses." and with that, Orochimaru disappeared.

Sasuke collapsed on his knees, gasping. I caught him, trying to sooth him. "Sasuke." I whimpered, tears falling down from my eyes.

He was yelling in pain, and he didn't look well either. It pained me to see my best friend like this, and there was nothing it could do.

"_Wait, there might be something." _I thought.

"Kristin, isn't there anything we can do?" Sakura asked, tearing up as well.

I nodded. "I have one idea, just don't hit me on the nose again." I told her, leaning my mouth closer to Sasuke neck.

"What are you gonna do?" Sakura asked.

"Maybe get some venom out." I answered, hoping it would work.

I bit down over the two puncture wounds from the fangs and began to suck, gathering a little bit of blood at a time, and from what else I tasted, some kind of venom. I spit out what I gathered and continued the routine.

After about five cycles, Sasuke collapsed in my arms.

"Sasuke!" Sakura screamed.

I placed two fingers, which were now technically claws, to the side of his neck, and felt a steady, if not rapid, pulse rate. "He's fine, for now anyway." I said.

Sakura began to cry. "What can we do? They're both hurt, how can we help them?" she asked, wiping her tears.

I did the same. "The only thing we can do right now is get the boys to a safe location and rest until they wake up." I told her, slipping Sasuke onto my back. I then focused my chakra and envisioned my final form, the Black Wolf. I positioned my hands and began the sequence, Snake-Dragon-Ox-Ram-Tiger-Dog-Snake-Rat-Dog. And then, I felt my skeletal system change into the full anatomy of the Wolf. My back slanted down, snout elongated, fangs sharpened, claws extended, and then, my senses were keener than ever before, but I was in complete control.

"Wow." was all Sakura had to say.

"Let's get the boys outta here." I said.

She followed me up to where Naruto was and slung him over my back like Sasuke was. And with the added weight, I believed I knew what a Camel felt like. Sakura picked up my backpack and carried it, and kept pace with me.

* * *

The sun had almost set when we came across a river and we stopped there to get a drink.

"Man, it's a good think Kakashi-sensei packed this for us." Sakura said, filling up the four thermoses.

I lapped up the water from the river, trying to get the taste of blood and acid out of my mouth. "I guess so." I replied. "I don't know if it was the sensei or the father in him that made him pack it."

"As long as it can help us get the boys back on their feet." Sakura sighed, screwing the lid onto the last thermos.

I lapped up a couple more gulps of water. "Come on, it'll be dark soon, and we want to at least have shelter before the moon rises." I advised.

We continued our walk until we came to a tree whose roots were above ground, forming a small dome to hide in.

"That looks good enough to me." Sakura said.

I nodded and ran towards it, ducking under the root to get inside. Sakura set my backpack down in the corner, and carefully took the boys from my back, Naruto first, then Sasuke, and laid them down on their backs.

I regressed the transformation and popped my knuckles and back, sighing in relief to be back in my human form.

"Feeling okay?" Sakura asked me.

I smiled back at her. "I'm okay, really." I turned to the boys. "It's them we need to worry about."

Sakura looked down at them too. "Guess it's up to us for the time being." she muttered.

"Appears so." I agreed.

The moon was full in the sky, and just because it was night, doesn't mean we're completely safe. I just hope that for the time being, no one attacks us.

I guess I was right when I said it was going to be a long five days. I glanced out into the night, _"Shikamaru. Choji. I pray you both are alright out there." _I thought. _"Please stay alive out there, for me." _tears fell from my eyes and hit the soft ground beneath my legs.

I gripped the cloth of my skirt and tried to catch my breath. I hope everyone was okay out there, us Thirteen Rookies, anyway.

Sakura and I had a plan to take turns guarding the boys, but we both just ended up falling asleep. I used the roots as a base to lean against, and the sun's rays hit me eyelids directly.

I rubbed my eyes and yawned. "Man, could it be any more brighter?" I asked.

I leaned forward and tapped Sakura's shoulder. "Hey girl, wake up." I whispered.

Her eyes gently opened, and she smiled at me. "Morning." she murmured.

"Morning." I replied, smiling.

We both glanced down at the boys, who were still out cold.

"Daybreak." I sighed, noticing the sun's rays coming through the tree roots.

* * *

Next time…

**Helena**: He was the last person I would expect to help us out.

**Kristin**: Perfect timing.

**Sakura**: Even though we're enemies on this test, he's still fighting his hardest to protect us. Maybe I was wrong about him before.

**Kristin**: Maybe I was too.

**Helena**: No matter what you two say, I still think he's a bit weird. Next time: **Bushy Brow's Pledge: Undying Love and Protection!**

**Kristin **and **Sakura**: Thank you, Rock Lee.

* * *

**A/N: **Well there you go guys, Orochimaru has officially been introduced, and you also learned a bit more about Helena's demon seal, that Kristin now bears. Hope you all are looking forward to the next exciting chapter^^ Review please.

XOXO~Cyber


	30. Bushy Brow's Pledge

**Bushy Brow's Pledge: Undying Love and Protection!**

* * *

The moon was full in the sky, and just because it was night, doesn't mean we're completely safe. I just hope that for the time being, no one attacks us.

I guess I was right when I said it was going to be a long five days. I glanced out into the night, _"Shikamaru. Choji. I pray you both are alright out there." _I thought. _"Please stay alive out there, for me." _tears fell from my eyes and hit the soft ground beneath my legs.

I gripped the cloth of my skirt and tried to catch my breath. I hope everyone was okay out there, us Thirteen Rookies, anyway.

Sakura and I had a plan to take turns guarding the boys, but we both just ended up falling asleep. I used the roots as a base to lean against, and the sun's rays hit me eyelids directly.

I rubbed my eyes and yawned. "Man, could it be any more brighter?" I asked.

I leaned forward and tapped Sakura's shoulder. "Hey girl, wake up." I whispered.

Her eyes gently opened, and she smiled at me. "Morning." she murmured.

"Morning." I replied, smiling.

We both glanced down at the boys, who were still out cold.

"Daybreak." I sighed, noticing the sun's rays coming through the tree roots.

* * *

"We need to eat something to get our strength back." Sakura sighed, digging out two cloths from my bag.

"I suppose I could try and hunt something." I said, stretching my legs.

"Hunt?" Sakura asked, placing a wet cloth on Naruto's forehead.

I nodded. "You know, black wolf, Stage three of my demon transformation." I elaborated.

"But is there a chance you'll loose control?" Sakura asked.

I shook my head no. "Helena's been quiet since we tangoed with Orochimaru." And that was true. I guess even she has her limits to what scares her. I've even tried probing my subconscious, and all I see is her, sitting in a dark corner with her head buried in her knees.

Sakura sighed. "It's better than nothing."

I smiled and stood outside of our little hideout. "Try to get a small fire going, and I'll be back for something to eat."

"Be careful Kristin." Sakura advised. "I can't be the sole person to take care of everyone. If we have any chance of surviving, we'll need you."

"Don't worry, remember who my dad is." I chuckled. "I'll be okay."

I focused hard, visualizing the seal around my body, and soon it was there, forming all over me. Then, I furthered the transformation to Stage Two, and then finally, Stage Three. With a final glance at my teammates, I darted into the forest, sniffing for something to eat.

* * *

I ducked under bushes so not to be spotted by other ninja teams, scared for the fact they might chase me and try to eat me, and that wouldn't be pretty. A scent caught my nose, and I followed it, and it led me to a single little brown rabbit, the perfect size for me and Sakura to share.

I licked my lips, ducking in the brush and slowly approaching the little mammal. It was oblivious to my presence, making it an easy catch.

"_Here little bunny." _I giggled in my mind.

In a swift motion I pounced on the bunny and sank my fangs into its neck, and it fell limp under my weight.

"_Breakfast, check." _I thought, sighing.

I kept the mammal in my teeth, clutched tightly as I walked back to my team. Sure it was a small catch, but I didn't want to be away for so long.

* * *

I smelt a small fire when I got back and ducked under the roots, laying behind the boys.

"What'd you catch?" Sakura asked.

I dropped the rabbit at her feet. "That." I spit out the excess fur that had accumulated on my teeth and tongue.

"Nice." Sakura said, watching as I skinned the small rodent and tossing it out into the bushes. She gagged.

I regressed back to human form and placed the slivers of meat on senbon that I had packed in my ninja pouch, and set them around the fire.

"Any changes?" I asked.

Sakura shook her head. "Sasuke's breathing easier now, but other than that, nothing really." she sighed, switching the cloths on their foreheads.

"I'm sure they'll come out of it soon." I reassured, for Sakura's sake and mine. _"At least I hope they will."_

I sighed and smoothed my skirt, doing something to occupy myself. Sakura and I stood watch over the boys, and my eyes were getting heavy. I looked over at Sakura and saw the same thing. The both of us were beat from alternating shifts the previous night, we were struggling to keep our eyes open.

I felt my lids get heavy, _"Maybe if I close them for just a minute or two." _I thought, before drifting off.

* * *

Naruto woke up and yawned, waking me up.

"Wow, I slept great." he said.

"Naruto." I sighed, happy he was alright.

Sasuke leaned up.

"Sasuke." Sakura sighed.

"Did you girls take care of us this whole time?" Sasuke asked.

I nodded, smiling.

"Thanks a lot." Naruto said. "We're all better because of you two."

"We're so glad you're okay, we were worried." Sakura cried.

I reached behind me and grabbed the four senbon with the rabbit meat. "Go on guys eat, you need to get your strength back."

"Thanks." Naruto said, taking one senbon from me.

Sasuke took his and I handed one to Sakura. "We did it." I said to her, and we shared a smile.

I took a bite of the meat than heard a rustling in the bushed. I turned my head and saw him, Orochimaru, standing there. His face was half burned due to Sasuke's 'Dragon Flame Jutsu'.

"Now you'll know what it feels like to be prey, cowering in the presence of its predator." Orochimaru chuckled, which sent chills down my spine.

I tried to warn the others, but for some reason, I couldn't move at all. My entire body was paralyzed. And when I tried to yell to warn them, I couldn't talk.

"Sasuke! Naruto! Sakura!" I yelled, but nothing came out.

A giant snake surrounded us and was aiming to eat us all. I tried to scream as loud as I could, but nothing came out.

* * *

I woke up, gasping for breath. I was leaning against the tree root, and the boys were still asleep, and Sakura sat alert.

"You have a bad dream too?" she asked.

I nodded. "I think I'm gonna have them for a while." I shuddered and wiped the sweat from my forehead.

A rustling came from the bushes, and Sakura and I quickly whipped out a kunai knife. We turned our heads and saw a squirrel standing a few feet away from us.

"_A squirrel?" _I thought. _"Damn Kris, now you're being paranoid." _I put my hand to my forehead and sighed.

Sakura tossed her kunai at the squirrel, startling it and making it chance directions. I sighed in relief.

I thought I heard something else, and my eyes darted to the bushes again. _"Calm down Kristin." _I thought. _"You're paranoid due to lack of sleep, there's nothing out there."_

Who the hell was I kidding, this Forest of Death was driving me insane. I took a long swig of water from my thermos, before dumping some in my hand and rubbing it on the back of my neck.

"You okay?" Sakura asked me.

"I don't know, to be honest." I answered. "I just want to get out of this crazy place."

"Same here." Sakura looked back down at our injured teammates. I could tell she was just as tired as I was, her eyelids kept trying to close, but she forced them to stay open.

"_Poor thing's exhausted." _I thought. _"Looks like this forest really takes a toll on the body, and mind. Who knew we would run into him on this exam."_

Orochimaru's face came to my mind, and I shuddered at the memory. What was he doing here. Why would one of the three Legendary Ninja of the Leaf, one of the Sannin, be here during the Chūnin Selection Examinations? And, the more important question, what does he want with Sasuke?

I looked at my unconscious friend, and could see the pain he was feeling. What was gonna happen to him now, now that he had that stupid curse seal on him.

I reached for my own seal, located on my left hip. Ever since I was little I've always had it, so I just assumed it was a birthmark. Until I had a dream one night when I was five and saw what it was, a lock to keep Helena's spirit from controlling me. When I asked my father about it, he told me the story of the demon wolf. But he also said he placed a sealing jutsu on it that wouldn't break until I turned sixteen years old, when I've had experience as a ninja.

I sighed and traced the design over the bandages, three half circles and three spikes on the outer rim. When I looked at it in the mirror, it looked like a wolf paw reaching around my hip.

My eyes shut as I envisioned the three stages of the transformation, and the signs for executing the transformation, a different sequence for each stage. Stage one was simple; Ox-Dragon-Dog-Tiger. Stage two; Tiger-Ox-Ram-Horse-Monkey-Dog-Rat. And then, stage three; Snake-Dragon-Ox-Ram-Tiger-Dog-Snake-Rat-Dog.

* * *

I heard a chuckle come from a few feet away, "Some lookouts, they're half asleep." my head snapped in the direction the voice came from and saw the three Sound genin from the first exam.

"What's the point of keeping watch after we've already found you?" asked the mummy-looking ninja, who I found out earlier, prior to this exam, his name was Dosu. "Now wake Sasuke up, we want to fight him."

"_Not gonna happen." _I growled. I slowly reached for a kunai knife in my holster, and Sakura did the same.

"What do you want here?" she asked. "What do you really want?"

"We know that Orochimaru is calling the shots from the shadows." I added, standing up and gripping the hilt of my kunai.

"What's that strange bruise on the back of Sasuke's neck?" Sakura asked. "You're behind this too aren't you? And now you want to fight him when he can't defend himself?"

"That's the move a coward would make." I added, glaring at them.

The other male on the team, known as Zaku, scoffed. "I can't just sit by after hearing them talk to us like that." he said, smirking. "First I'm gonna kill these little bitches, then I'll kill Sasuke."

I gritted my teeth, biting back the urge to attack him. It was situations like this, that Sakura and I laid a couple of traps in the middle of the night. I just hoped this idiots would fall for it.

But there was no such luck. Dosu discovered the pitfall trap, which is what the squirrel nearly ran in to.

"So you threw your kunai knife so the squirrel wouldn't spring the trap." Zaku huffed.

"Now, we kill them." Dosu ordered.

And the three Oto genin attacked us. But what they didn't know is I laid a trap above. I cut the wire looped through one of my kunai hidden behind the root, and the log I tied up came hauling down. But even that wasn't enough, Dosu just used one of his jutsus to blow right through the log.

"Clearly they have no talent as Kunoichi." Dosu said.

The female member, Kin, chuckled, "They're a disgrace."

Sakura and I watched as they came closer to us. My mind just went blank on what to do. Then, all of a sudden, someone came to our rescue. He sent the three sound ninja flying to the ground.

* * *

Our rescuer landed in front of us. And once I saw the green jumpsuit and haircut, I knew who it was. The genin who had rescued us was none other than, Rock Lee.

"Who are you?" Dosu asked.

"I am the Leaf's Handsome Devil." he answered. "And my name is Rock Lee."

The squirrel from earlier was perched on Lee's shoulder. I can say this, Lee has excellent timing.

"What are you doing here Lee?" Sakura asked, clearly confused.

"I will always appear, whenever you are in danger Sakura." Lee answered. He took the squirrel from his shoulder and let it free. The little rodent had brains, it scurried right into the bushes, far away from the battle.

"But right now, on this test, we're your enemy." I pointed out.

"She is right." Sakura agreed.

"I already told you Sakura," Lee replied. "I will protect you until I die."

Sakura gasped, probably remembering back when Lee first made that promise.

I smiled and looked at her.

"Yes." Sakura whispered.

"Thank you, Rock Lee." we said in unison.

Dosu took out and Earth scroll and tossed it to Zaku. "I'll take care of these guys, you can have Sasuke."

* * *

Dosu charged for Lee, but instead of dodging, Lee pulled up a tree root to block the attack.

"_Wow, he's tough." _I thought.

Rock Lee stood his ground, between Sakura and I, and the Hidden Sound genin. He began unraveling the bandages around his arms. Then, in a split second he disappeared right as Dosu was about to strike him. Lee kicked Dosu in the jaw and sent him flying in the air, then used the 'Dancing Leaf Shadow', wrapping the loose bandages around Dosu's body.

"_Could that really be it?" _I thought, thinking of an extreme taijutsu technique exactly like that.

Lee spun wildly in mid-air, Dosu still trapped in the bandages, and slammed him into the ground. But, last second, Zaku used some technique of his to soften the ground where Dosu fell.

"That's a scary jutsu." Dosu breathed. "It would've ended badly if I hadn't landed on this soft dirt."

"_Damn. So close." _I thought.

Dosu lifted his sleeve, revealing a porous metal gauntlet on his right arm. He swung a punch at Lee, who barely dodged it, but somehow the attack went through.

"Lee no." Sakura gasped.

I recoiled because I could see the pain Lee was in.

"Your jutsu is indeed fast, but ours is even faster because it travels at the speed of sound." Dosu informed. "Now we're going to show you something called 'the wall'."

The three sound ninja smirked at us. Lee collapsed on his knee, panting almost.

"_What have we gotten into now?" _I thought.

My instincts told me, we were in for another grueling fight.

* * *

Next time…

**Sakura**: I'm so sick of this, always feeling like I'm a step or two behind.

**Kristin**: I know what you mean, I feel that way too.

**Sakura**: Why can't we be more like them? Sasuke.

**Kristin**: And Naruto.

**Sakura**: And Lee too.

**Kristin**: Well no more, we'll show them.

**Sakura**: That's right, it's or turn to save them.

**Kristin **and Sakura: Next time: Blossoming Kunoichi!

**Sakura**: Things in this next battle…

**Kristin**: Are gonna get real serious, real fast!

* * *

**A/N: **Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and are ready for the next! Now, the next one will be action packed and a little heart wrenching, but I hope you guys will like it^^ Review please.

XOXO~Cyber


	31. Blossoming Kunoichi

**Blossoming Kunoichi!**

* * *

Our rescuer landed in front of us. And once I saw the green jumpsuit and haircut, I knew who it was. The genin who had rescued us was none other than, Rock Lee.

"Who are you?" Dosu asked.

"I am the Leaf's Handsome Devil." he answered. "And my name is Rock Lee."

The squirrel from earlier was perched on Lee's shoulder. I can say this, Lee has excellent timing.

"What are you doing here Lee?" Sakura asked, clearly confused.

"I will always appear, whenever you are in danger Sakura." Lee answered. He took the squirrel from his shoulder and let it free. The little rodent had brains, it scurried right into the bushes, far away from the battle.

"But right now, on this test, we're your enemy." I pointed out.

"She is right." Sakura agreed.

"I already told you Sakura," Lee replied. "I will protect you until I die."

Sakura gasped, probably remembering back when Lee first made that promise.

I smiled and looked at her.

"Yes." Sakura whispered.

"Thank you, Rock Lee." we said in unison.

Dosu took out and Earth scroll and tossed it to Zaku. "I'll take care of these guys, you can have Sasuke."

Dosu charged for Lee, but instead of dodging, Lee pulled up a tree root to block the attack.

"_Wow, he's tough." _I thought.

Rock Lee stood his ground, between Sakura and I, and the Hidden Sound genin. He began unraveling the bandages around his arms. Then, in a split second he disappeared right as Dosu was about to strike him. Lee kicked Dosu in the jaw and sent him flying in the air, then used the 'Dancing Leaf Shadow', wrapping the loose bandages around Dosu's body.

"_Could that really be it?" _I thought, thinking of an extreme taijutsu technique exactly like that.

Lee spun wildly in mid-air, Dosu still trapped in the bandages, and slammed him into the ground. But, last second, Zaku used some technique of his to soften the ground where Dosu fell.

"That's a scary jutsu." Dosu breathed. "It would've ended badly if I hadn't landed on this soft dirt."

"_Damn. So close." _I thought.

Dosu lifted his sleeve, revealing a porous metal gauntlet on his right arm. He swung a punch at Lee, who barely dodged it, but somehow the attack went through.

"Lee no." Sakura gasped.

I recoiled because I could see the pain Lee was in.

"Your jutsu is indeed fast, but ours is even faster because it travels at the speed of sound." Dosu informed. "Now we're going to show you something called 'the wall'."

The three sound ninja smirked at us. Lee collapsed on his knee, panting almost.

"_What have we gotten into now?" _I thought.

My instincts told me, we were in for another grueling fight.

* * *

Lee collapsed on his hands and vomited, then blood started to trickle out of his left ear.

"Lee what's wrong?" Sakura yelled.

"Oh this isn't good." I gulped.

Dosu chuckled, showing us the porous gauntlet on his arm. "I forgot to mention about his little gadget I wear. You may be able to doge my blows, but you can't escape this."

"_What does he have up his sleeve now?" _I thought, shuddering.

"Even if you doge my punches, I can still hit you with sound itself." Dosu added. "What makes it possible for people to hear things? What is sound really?"

"Vibrations." Sakura and I muttered in unison.

"Give the little bitches a prize." Zaku chuckled. I was really starting to get pissed of at him.

"Yes, the vibrations of molecules in the air creates a sound wave." Dosu said. "These vibrations then travel to the ear, directly to the ear drum via the inner ear canal."

I'm pretty sure he knew we all knew that. So why was he giving us this lecture anyway?

"The rest is just basic anatomy." Dosu added. "What interests me are the organs of the inner ear, the ones that control the sense of balance."

So that's his technique, using sound vibrations to knock the enemy off balance, then strike him when his reflexes are slowed. These guys are sadistic, no surprise, considering they trained with Orochimaru. I shuddered at the rogue ninja's thought.

Zaku chuckled. "See, your old fashioned taijutsu won't work on us." he lifted his hands from the ground, "I can manipulate ultrasonic waves and air pressure."

So that's how he made the ground softer to avoid Dosu any real damage, damn. He opened his palms and revealed two small open airway tubes, blasting a high-pressure air stream. "Face it, you're looking at the jutsu of the future."

Damn, these guys were more skilled that I originally thought. I had to give kudos to Lee though, for standing so tough in the face of these skilled shinobi.

"Alright, little girls, it's your turn!" Dosu bypassed Lee and charged right for Sakura and myself.

We both whipped out a kunai and held it steady. I knew I had some techniques in my repertoire that I could use, I just hoped they would be enough.

* * *

Before I could act, Lee sprinted to our rescue, trying to kick Dosu, but he was still in pain from the previous blow.

"It's a surprise you can move at all." Dosu said, dodging the kick and aiming to punch Lee again.

Even with his ear covered, Dosu still swung at Lee, his arm connecting with the barrier. Sound waves resonated with the impact, something my demon senses picked up on. The gauntlet Dosu wore amplified the sound waves, making them even finer, and more damaging.

"I can also manipulate the sound wave with my chakra." Dosu informed. "Making it attack whatever target I desire."

The sound wave was directed in a semi-circle motion, striking Lee's left ear, which was the one that was previously injure.

"Lee!" Sakura and I called.

He may not be on our team, but he gave it his all to protect Sakura, and myself. I don't think I've ever met someone who would go out of his way like that. I now take back what I thought earlier, I misjudged him. Rock Lee now has my deepest respect, and gratitude.

"_Thank you, Rock Lee." _I thought.

Due to the intensity of the sound wave attack from Dosu, Lee fell unconscious. When Dosu aimed to strike him, Sakura threw a set of shuriken at him.

"I had almost forgotten you two." Dosu said.

I gritted my teeth, pulling out one of my secret weapons. A small, blue scroll with a single marking on it, '水', the kanji for water. _"I only packed a few of these, so I can't waste all of them on this one battle."_

"So she has a summoning scroll, this I gotta see." Zaku smirked.

"After this fight, you're not gonna forget us!" I yelled jumping from my spot, hovering over them. _"I just hope this works." _I thought, scraping my thumb against my canine tooth, drawing blood. I unsealed the scroll and wiped the blood down across the words. Executing the sequence, Dragon-Ram-Ox-Rat-Boar, "Water Style: Piercing Rain!" a shower of spear-like raindrops flew from the scroll. I even added in something else to the mix as well, forming the next sequence, Ram → Rat → Bird → Boar → Tiger, the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu, tossing in my real shuriken with the rain.

But Dosu used his gauntlet to block the shuriken, and Zaku blasted an air stream, scattering my water jutsu. I landed on my feet, ready to fight.

"_I'm not gonna give up that easily." _I thought, clenching my fists.

Sakura and I threw another set of shuriken, but Zaku again blasted them back in our direction. I threw my arms up to defend myself, getting a couple of scrapes from the shuriken.

"_The shuriken just bounce right off, so there goes that plan." _I gritted my teeth.

* * *

But then, Sakura and I were both restricted. The female member, Kin, had s gotten behind us and now she had me and my teammate by our hair, literally.

"My, my, what soft and shiny hair you two have." she chuckled, bunching up the majority of the length in her fists. "But, if you both spent a little less time shampooing, and more time practicing on your jutsus, you both wouldn't be in this fix."

She gripped a fistful of my ponytail. "And this one here," she clenched tighter on my hair. "If you spent less time coloring your hair, you would have much more time to practice your techniques. you're just a weak little shinobi." she yanked back on my hair and released a little bit, letting the recoil slam my face into the ground. I felt blood trickle down my lip.

Kin yanked me back up, forcing me and Sakura to sit still. She kept a tight grip on our hair, fisting it.

"Hey Zaku!" she called to her teammate. "I know what we can do. Let's make the little beauty queens here watch as you finish off that Sasuke guy."

Zaku laughed. "Sure, sounds like fun to me."

Sakura inched forward, only to be pulled back by Kin. "Don't even try to move." she said. She fisted my ponytail and shoved me down, slamming my face into the ground again.

I coughed as the dust settled. _"Nice going Kris, now look at the situation you're in" _I choked up. I dug my nails into the ground, fisting the dirt. _"I wasted what little strength I had on that Water and Shuriken combo, and look where that got me."_

Tears welled in my eyes, and I just let them fall. I shut my eyes and cried. The second day in this stupid forest and I reached my breaking point, and now I was beginning to wonder why the hell I even enrolled in the Academy in the first place. Was it because I really wanted to be a Kunoichi? Or did I enroll to make my dad happy? Was it because of what clan I came from and there were expectations? I just don't know anymore.

The tears fell down my cheeks and landed on the jade green cloth of my skirt. _"Nice going Kristin, look at you." _I berated myself. _"Right when your team needs you, you cave under pressure."_

I thought back to when I was a little girl, just starting out in the Academy. My hair was shorter back then, not really short, but just long enough to be tied back. My bangs had framed my face, and fell just above my eyes.

Kids teased me a lot in the Academy because of my hair colors, and sometimes I would act like it didn't bother me, only I would go home and cry after school. I'm pretty sure if I didn't have the friends I did, I wouldn't be able to accept the fact that I was 'uniquely different', as Choji had said it once.

* * *

{Flashback}

No matter how hard I worked, I was never good enough for everyone else's standards. I trained as hard as I could, studied as long as I could. But no matter how I proved myself, no one really cared, no one except the three boys who saw me as an actual human being.

Some kids in my class would talk about me behind my back, and made sure I heard what they were saying.

"She really thinks she can make it as a ninja?" snickered on boy in particular, named Hibachi. "There's just no way."

His friends snickered, agreeing with him. I could feel their eyes on me as I read my book, ignoring them.

"You know, I'm going to feel bad for the team she gets stuck on come graduation for us." Hibachi chuckled. "They're gonna have to deal with her and all of her feminine things."

I clenched my fist that rested under the desk. I gripped the black cloth of my pants, holding back the urge to snap back at them.

The boys were relentless in their conversation about me, they kept throwing insults left and right.

"Think she dyed her hair?" asked one of Hibachi's friends.

Hibachi chuckled. "Of course she did. No one in this world has that hair color, there's no way it's natural."

I slammed my book shut and walked out, shoulders high as I could get them, trying not to cry.

I made it as far as the front door of the Academy before running out, letting the tears fall. I ran to the riverbank and sat on the dock, my head buried in my knees. My shoulders shook as I cried, soaking the cloth of my pants.

I then felt hands on my shoulders, two of them. They sat beside me, feet dangling over the water.

"Will this cheer you up?" Choji asked, handing me a pork dumpling. I looked over at him and he had an ear-to-ear grin on his face.

"Thanks Choji, but I'm not hungry." I replied, wiping the tears from my eyes.

Shikamaru rubbed my back, "It's okay Kris." she said.

I sniffled, letting my feet hang over the edge of the dock. "No it's not." I rebuked, wiping the moisture from my cheeks.

"Hibachi is a jerk, we all know this." Shikamaru said. "Don't listen to what he says, because he's always wrong."

I sniffled again. "Yeah, but, he needs to learn to keep his mouth shut." I sighed, folding my arms over my chest.

"Was he making fun of you again?" Choji asked.

I nodded, feeling more tears coming.

"We're gone only five minutes and this happens." Shikamaru sighed. "I guess that means we have to stick to you from now on." he wiped a tear from my cheek.

"Maybe if I just dyed my bangs the same color has the rest of my hair, he won't make fun of me anymore." I thought out loud, sighing.

Choji huffed. "No, c'mon Kris that's not the answer." he said.

"He's right, you can't cave like that." Shikamaru added.

I turned to face him, "Why not? If it'll get him and his friends to stop teasing me-"

Shikamaru held up his finger to cut me off, "You shouldn't change anything about your hair, it's beautiful just the way it is." he said, running his finger over my pink bangs. "And one day, people are going to see that. You'll be a Kunoichi who is just as strong as she is beautiful, and trust me, you will be beautiful."

I smiled, "You really think so?" I looked at him and Choji.

Choji nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you can't Hibachi get you down. One day you'll be stronger than him, way stronger."

"She's already smarter than him." Shikamaru pointed out.

We all started laughing, and that made all of my tears stop. And with the encouragement of those two, I continued to train and study to the best of my ability. Of course, I didn't center my entire life around it like Sasuke did. And no matter how I tried to approach him, he just pushed me, and the boys, away. All he focused on was his training. Even if it meant pushing his best friends away.

I took what Shikamaru said into consideration and kept my hair it's usual colors. It grew out over the years and I kept it high off my neck, making it easier to train. When it reached the length it is now, the section where the pink melded with the lavender was covered with the band I used to tie my hair up, separating the two colors.

Sure, I still got teased about it, but I shrugged it off, knowing that it didn't matter what anybody else thought. I was still going to prove that just because I was different, didn't meant that I wouldn't excel at being a shinobi.

{End Flashback}

* * *

"_No matter what happened, they were always there for me." _I cried. _"From the teasing to the actual bullying, they were always there to rescue me." _not only was I teased, but kids actually tried to beat me up, saying I could never hack the intensity of a shinobi fight. And just when they were about to literally punch me to prove a point, the guys were always there, to stick up for me. No matter what, they were always there.

"_Give it up Kristin, no one is going to come and rescue you this time." _the rational section of my mind said. _"Your guy teammates are down, and you and Sakura can't defend them against the enemy." _the situation looked grim for us. _"During this exam, everyone is considered an enemy, no squad is gonna go out of their way to protect another. So get that thought out of your head."_

The rational voice sounded a lot like Helena, but as far as I could feel and sense, she was still quiet in my subconscious. Great, not even the demon wolf is gonna help me, and she's basically the trump card of Team Seven.

Reality finally hit me, there was nothing I could really do. _"Way to go Kristin, you let everybody down; Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke, Lee. Also, Dad, and Mom, Kovu, and Grandfather. You let everybody down, just when they need you the most." _tears continued to fall. _"After everything you've put yourself through, everything you trained for, you cave right when your team needs you."_

I fisted the ground, my arms shaking. Kin still held us in place as Zaku approached Sasuke and Naruto, the look in his eyes said he wanted to kill them.

The sensation of heat racing over my body, meaning the trigger of the seal, came over me. I realized that no matter what, I had to try everything I could to protect my teammates, my friends. I grabbed a kunai from my holster and held it pointed up towards Kin. Sakura had done the same thing.

"Ha." Kin laughed. "That's pointless, it won't work on me."

Sakura and I both turned to her, "It's not meant for you." we said in unison.

I guess Sakura and I were in the same boat all along. We took our kunai and angled them up, aiming to cut loose from Kin's grip. And that's just what we did.

* * *

I sliced through the lavender portion of my hair Kin had fisted together, the kunai slicing over her knuckles. The tip grazed the ribbon I had tied around the band, slicing through both, and unlatching the butterfly clip I had to the side of the band.

"_I have always considered myself to be a true ninja, despite what anybody else said about me." _I thought, slowly standing up, watching the lavender strands fall to the ground. _"I lectured Naruto constantly on missions, claiming I was better than him, saying I was a true shinobi, an heir to the Hatake clan. A real descendent of Zyra, the first Kunoichi born of my clan." _her name was sown into the Hatake tapestry in emerald green thread, a Kunoichi I have always admired.

"_But that's all just empty words." _I admitted. I remembered back on the Land of Waves mission how Sasuke covered me when that Mist Chūnin came at me. And when Naruto had thought of that plan to free Kakashi-sensei, my role was minor in that plan.

"_No matter what, they put their lives on the line, and all I could do was watch." _I remembered the fight on the bridge, Naruto and Sasuke were fighting Haku, and they nearly paid the ultimate price for victory. All I did was stand there and watch, and when I thought Sasuke had died, I broke down and cried, crying like some helpless little child. And even when I joined the fight, I was more of a hindrance than a help for my dad. The only good thing I did was put Haku out of his misery, at his request. A mercy kill.

"_I watched them from the background, never being able to catch up." _I thought. _"Well, not this time." _I forced the seal to continue over my body, envisioning the intricate detail of the stripes on my arms and legs, and stars on the backs of my hands, the diamonds on the corners of my eyes, and the vertical scars over my eyes.

"_Sasuke and Naruto were always there when they were needed." _I thought of them, and how, even though they get on my nerves with their arguing, they made the team for what it was.

I sheathed my kunai knife and stood straight, letting my headband, ribbon, and butterfly clip fall to my feet. _"And now it's time to prove my place on this team. To prove that I can handle the shinobi lifestyle. Time for me to put my life on the line for my friends."_

The seal had finished forming, I felt the marks settle into my skin. No matter how bruised my body was, I was going to do whatever it took to protect my team. Here and now was the make or break battle.

I opened my eyes, my demon eyes that I used during the exams, and I was ready to fight. Sakura stood tall beside me, her short pink hair flying in the wind. Her green eyes were full of seriousness, telling me she was ready to fight alongside me.

This was it, Sakura and I were going to put our lives on the line, to protect our teammates.

"Finish them Kin!" Zaku called.

The Oto Kunoichi was preparing to attack us from behind, but I wasn't going to fall for it. I heard her approach me and kicked her in the stomach, giving me and Sakura enough time to create a distraction.

Sakura used a substitution jutsu and I used the Water Clone technique, since there were still some small puddles around due to my Piercing Rain jutsu.

"A substitution and clone jutsu?" Kin shrieked. Apparently, we caught her off guard.

I created two water clones and transformed one into Sakura, having those two charge in, in our place.

The real us were hiding on the upper branches of the same tree we were camping under. I focused my chakra, executing the signs for Stage Two, _"Tora-Ushi-Hitsuji-Uma-Saru-Inu-Ne. Ninja Art: Demon Transformation; Seal Advancement Stage Two." _With all of my strength I advanced the seal via the transformation technique.

This time Sakura and I jumped Zaku from where we stood. Zaku threw four kunai at us, two hitting me, and the other two hitting Sakura. The kunai stuck the arm and leg of Sakura and me. Blood dripped from the wounds and onto Zaku, making him realize it was really us.

Sakura stabbed Zaku's right arm and bit down in the same area. I registered something in my left side, but my adrenaline was pumping that I didn't feel any pain. I bit down on Zaku's left shoulder. Now Sakura and I had him pinned down.

Since I was in stage two, my visible skin was instead black fur, and my clothes were still in tact. My hair hung down to my shoulder blades, now all dark purple.

I opened one eye and saw Zaku fling Sakura to the tree roots. She skidded to a halt and coughed. Her arms shook as she tried to sit up, but all she could manage was a kneeling position.

"_Guess it's up to me now." _I thought.

With his arm now free of Sakura, Zaku began repeatedly punching me, mainly on the head. No matter how hard he punched, I still kept my canine teeth lodged in his shoulder.

"Get this crazy bitch off of me!" Zaku yelled.

* * *

{Flashback}

I remembered when I was around seven years old, I was studying at Choji's house, the day of the Founders' Festival. My hair was at the length that it fell over my shoulder and my bangs were in front of my eyes, making me focus more on my hair and less on my studies.

"Damn, come on." I grunted, moving my bangs out of my eyes again.

"Hair bothering you again?" Choji asked, looking at me.

"Yes, dumb thing never cooperates." I muttered.

"Maybe I can help." Shikamaru said, standing up. He grabbed a pair of scissors from Choji's desk.

"You are not cutting my hair." I told him.

"Relax, I'm not gonna cut your hair." Shikamaru replied. He took out his dark brown and green kimono, which is what he was going to war for the festival that night. He took the forest green sash and pulled the ends back, "I told my mom that the sash was too long, and she never got around to fixing it. My cousin Shikara marked where she was going to trim it, and she was going to do it later, but she came down with the flu."

"So, you're going to cut it then?" Choji asked.

Shikamaru snipped under the line of safety pins on the sash, letting the material fall to the ground, "Yep."

"So what does that have to do with my hair problem?" I asked him.

Shikamaru cut a thin ribbon from one of the sash pieces, "This is how." he said, walking over and sitting next to me. "Turn around, back facing me."

I looked at Choji who was happily eating a bag of potato chips. He shrugged his shoulders, and I did too. I turned around and Shikamaru gathered the loose pieces of my lavender hair gripped tightly. He tied the ribbon around the top part, as tightly as he could. Then he cut off the excess length of the ribbon. "Problem solved." he said.

"Thanks, I guess." I chuckled.

"Looks good Kris." Choji said, with a mouthful of chips.

{End Flashback}

* * *

Zaku punched again and again, ruthlessly.

"Let go!" Zaku ordered, continuing the punching.

The harder he punched, the more I kept pressure biting his arm. I felt blood trickle down from my scalp, and I didn't care at all.

* * *

{Flashback}

"Come on Choji, what is it already?" I asked, impatient.

My eighth birthday party was a small gathering of what little friends I had. Obviously my dad and sister were there, and Choji and Shikamaru. Orchi and Ichiro were there, along with their mother, Satsuki. And my dad's 'friend' Konoha Sarutobi.

It was Choji's turn to give me my present, but he was making a big deal out of it. "Close your eyes Kris." he told me.

I sighed, "Fine." I closed my eyes and felt Choji place something on the left side of my bangs. I heard a small 'click', "There, now open them"

Choji held a small mirror for me to look into, and I saw a silver-blue butterfly clip perched on my bangs. It was small, but very pretty. The wings were a pale blue and the body was silvery-blue,

"I thought you would like it." Choji smiled.

"I love it Choji!" I squealed, hugging him. "Thanks so much, I'll wear it every day."

"Happy Birthday Kris." Choji said, hugging me back.

"You look so pretty sissy." Kallera giggled, sitting next to me on the couch.

I smiled and patted her head.

{End Flashback}

* * *

Zaku kneed me in the ribs, causing me cough up blood, and loosen my grip on his shoulder. The taste of iron and copper soon filled my mouth, making me gag, but I tried to keep up the pressure as best I could.

"Let go you stupid bitch." Zaku grunted. "When I'm through with you, you'll be begging for death."

I latched down harder, tearing through the cloth of his sleeves.

Zaku moved his punches from the top of my head to my temples, beating my eye. I'm not gonna lie, I was in so much pain that it hurt to move at all. I felt like if I were to relinquish the hold I had, I would pass out, and that would be it for me.

I cracked my eye open, and saw Sakura kneeling there, tears in her eyes, she was crying, for me.

We never got along in the Academy, we never talked to each other. We only ever made contact if it was just a glance in the hall or in the classroom, but we were never friends. We were only compared when it came to test scores, mine were always a point or two below hers, she was defiantly smarter than me, but I excelled more in physical training.

I guess through this experience as members of the same squad, brought us closer. We were finally forming a bond of friendship.

"_I can't give up. I've gotta win this." _I thought, biting harder on Zaku's arm. _"I can't let my team, no, my friends down." _I glanced at Lee, who was still unconscious. _"You stepped in because you like Sakura, you went out of your way to help her. And in turn, you inspired me Lee." _I felt the tears welling up and let them spill over. _"You now have my respect, and I'm not gonna let what you did be for nothing." _

A feral growl escaped my throat as I readjusted my grip, digging my canines deep in the flesh of Zaku's arm.

* * *

Blood ran down from my scalp, nose, and mouth, but I wasn't gonna give up. Zaku punched my temple and kneed me in the ribs at the same moment. I coughed again and Zaku tossed me aside, pulling me from his arm.

I coughed again, blood spurted from my mouth in a small puddle underneath me.

"You're dead little bitch." Zaku smirked, grabbing me by the cloth of my top and tossed me towards Sakura.

My body hit the ground and I rolled and skidded, earning new scrapes and bruises.

"Kristin." Sakura gasped.

I coughed again. "I'm alright." I lied, grinning. "It's up to us to keep them safe, it's our turn to fight back for their sake."

Sakura and I faced our enemy. Who knows, we might as well be staring at the Grim Reaper himself.

* * *

But then, something unexpected happened. Three genin stood in front of Sakura and myself. I recognized them instantly, Squad Ten had come to our rescue.

"Ino." Sakura gasped.

The blonde, purple clad Kunoichi huffed. "Surprised? I swore that I would never let you show me up, didn't I?" I never knew Ino could be so…so, a word can't even come to mind.

I glanced to the far left, "Choji." I muttered. Then my eyes focused on the genin in front of me, "Shikamaru." I felt tears forming again.

"Just because we're on separate teams, doesn't mean we're still not friends." he replied, turning his face to see me. "I'll always be there for ya, count on it." he gave me a wink and a small smile.

"_Thank you, Shikamaru." _I thought, grateful to see him.

* * *

Next time…

**Kristin**: This is Squad Ten's fight now.

**Sakura**: I'll admit, Ino and her team are pretty tough. When did they get so good?

**Kristin**: Asuma must be a good teacher to whip those three into a decent team in the few months we've been out of the Academy.

**Sakura**: And with their help, we can get the Sasuke and Naruto out of this mess.

**Kristin**: Let's hope so. Next time: **Battle Formation: Ino-Shika-Cho! **Wait, I sense something, something dark. What could it be?

**Helena**: Oh hell…

* * *

**A/N: **Well I hope you guys enjoy it^^ Review please.


	32. Battle Formation!

**Battle Formation: Ino-Shika-Cho! **

* * *

A feral growl escaped my throat as I readjusted my grip, digging my canines deep in the flesh of Zaku's arm.

Blood ran down from my scalp, nose, and mouth, but I wasn't gonna give up. Zaku punched my temple and kneed me in the ribs at the same moment. I coughed again and Zaku tossed me aside, pulling me from his arm.

I coughed again, blood spurted from my mouth in a small puddle underneath me.

"You're dead little bitch." Zaku smirked, grabbing me by the cloth of my top and tossed me towards Sakura.

My body hit the ground and I rolled and skidded, earning new scrapes and bruises.

"Kristin." Sakura gasped.

I coughed again. "I'm alright." I lied, grinning. "It's up to us to keep them safe. It's our turn to fight back for their sake."

Sakura and I faced our enemy. Who knows, we might as well be staring at the Grim Reaper himself.

But then, something unexpected happened. Three genin stood in front of Sakura and myself. I recognized them instantly, Squad Ten had come to our rescue.

"Ino." Sakura gasped.

The blonde, purple clad Kunoichi huffed. "Surprised? I swore that I would never let you show me up, didn't I?" I never knew Ino could be so…so, a word can't even come to mind.

I glanced to the far left, "Choji." I muttered. Then my eyes focused on the genin in front of me, "Shikamaru." I felt tears forming again.

"Just because we're on separate teams, doesn't mean we're still not friends." he replied, turning his face to see me. "I'll always be there for ya, count on it." he gave me a wink and a small smile.

"_Thank you, Shikamaru." _I thought, grateful to see him.

* * *

My adrenaline had died down and I registered a sharp pain in my left hip. I reached for the wound and pulled out a kunai knife, wincing at the sudden jolt of pain. I covered the wound with my hand, trying my best to stop the bleeding.

Team Ten stood protectively in front of us, and this was the first time I've ever seen Shikamaru with a serious look on his face.

"These Leaf Village worms are going to be sorry they squirmed into something that doesn't concern them." Dosu threatened, glaring at Team Ten.

That was enough to scare Choji, "Are you two serious?" he harshly whispered to Ino and Shikamaru. "What are we doing here? These guys are bad news man."

"Don't look at me, it was Ino's idea." Shikamaru replied, holding the end of Choji's scarf. "Besides, what are we supposed to do? Stand back and let a girl do all the fighting?"

I mentally face palmed, _"Of course, he's worried about a girl showing him up." _I thought. _"Same old Shikamaru, singing the same old chauvinist tune."_

Ino chuckled, "Sorry to drag you both into this, but we are a three man squad right?" she asked. "All for one, and one for all."

Shikamaru smiled in agreement, "Yeah, what's meant to happen, will." he glanced back at me and winked.

"_Yeah, you haven't changed at all." _I smiled back, trying to ignore the pain in my side.

"This isn't teamwork!" Choji yelled. "I call this suicide."

He tried to turn and run, but Shikamaru kept a good grip on his scarf. "Stop your whining." Shikamaru ordered. "You're getting on my nerves."

Zaku chuckled, "Better a live sheep than a dead lion." he said. "Right fatso?"

I coughed. _"Oh, he did it now." _I thought. I cracked a smile, seeing the look on Choji's face.

"Did I just hear that right?" Choji asked, his tone changing. "What did that guy just say?"

I chuckled, gripping my side tighter. "You did it now." I muttered.

Sakura looked at me, "What do you mean?"

I looked at her, completely serious. "Shit's about to do down." Sakura blinked in confusion. "There are some words that we never speak around Choji or say to his face. If you do, you're as good as dead."

Sakura gasped.

"_He just hit Choji's button big time." _I cracked a smile. _"This is gonna be good."_

"You wanna try saying that again?" Choji asked Zaku.

"I said it's smart to run when you've still got a chance, fatty." Zaku repeated.

"_He's dead." _I thought, smiling. Serves him right for what he did. I was rooting for Choji during this fight.

Now like I said, he's not the most leanest ninja, but he has a taijutsu knockout that, in my opinion, puts Lee to shame. These sound ninja are in for it now.

* * *

Choji's expression changed dramatically. His eyes went blank and the veins in his forehead bulged. He turned to face the sound ninja, ready to fight. "I'm not fat, I'm just a little chubby okay!" he yelled. "Chubbies Forever!"

I can tell that Sakura was beyond confused now. I was smiling and giggling, even though the latter emotion hurt like hell. But that didn't matter at that point because I was gonna enjoy seeing Dosu, Zaku, and Kin get flattened by Choji.

"Alright, now it's personal." Choji growled. "It'll be a fight to the death between Leaf and Sound!"

"_I wouldn't go as far as death, Choji." _I thought. _"But, anything to get ya to flatten these guys."_

"Good job, thanks a lot." Shikamaru said. "Now we have to live with him."

I giggled, wincing at the same time. "I only wish…Sasuke and Naruto…were awake to see this." I said, grinning. "It would make Naruto…reconsider making fun of…Choji." I coughed and nearly choked, gasping for breath. Blood trickled from my mouth, and a small puddle was forming in front of me. Blood was even trickling through the cracks of my hand over my hip, and I was suddenly feeling really dizzy.

Sakura glanced back at Sasuke and Naruto, who were both still unconscious. I could tell she was deeply worried for them, as was I.

"Sakura." Ino called. "Your teammates are down, look after them."

Sakura nodded.

I smiled and coughed again. I was putting the majority of my weight on my hands to keep me upright at all. I took slow breaths, trying to keep focus. My demon seal was still in Stage One, and I was worried that it was the only thing keeping me conscious right now. I hope that wasn't the case.

"Let us handle these guys." Shikamaru said to me. "You just take a rest." he turned his head to look back at me.

I held my hip tighter, not wanting Shikamaru to see the wound. "Just do me a favor?" I asked, closing my eyes.

"Anything." Shikamaru replied.

"Kick their asses." I said, locking eyes with him.

Shikamaru nodded and winked before turning back to face the enemy. _"Thank you, Shikamaru." _I thought.

* * *

"Alright Team Ino, let's do this." Ino said, taking lead of the team.

"Got it." Shikamaru and Choji agreed.

"Formation!" Ino called out. "Ino!"

"Shika!"

"Cho!"

Now this was all new news to me. I had no idea what was in store, but I had a feeling it wasn't a good thing for the sound genin.

"Okay, take it away Choji." Ino called.

"With pleasure." Choji said, forming a hand seal similar to 'Tori' or 'Bird'. "Expansion Jutsu! Followed by Leaf Village taijutsu." Choji expanded his body and hid his arms, legs, and head inside. "Human Boulder jutsu!" he rolled at a fast pace, straight for Zaku.

"_Get him Choji." _I cheered.

Zaku laughed. "Am I supposed to laugh myself to death?" he joked, aiming his palms toward Choji. "Slicing sound wave." He created an air stream that was keeping Choji at bay for the time being.

But Choji's momentum was so great, he literally jumped the air stream, much to Zaku's surprise.

"_Yes! Way to go Choji! That's my boy!"_ I cheered internally, not having the actual strength to yell it out loud.

Dosu ran towards Zaku, who looked frozen in place. My attention drifted to Shikamaru, who had the sign for 'Rat' ready. "Ninja Art: Shadow Possession Jutsu."

Dosu fell right into that one, his shadow was now linked to Shikamaru's, immobilizing him for the time being.

Zaku dodged Choji at last second, but he looked kinda freaked at the jutsu's power. Since Dosu's shadow was linked with Shikamaru's, he was forced to mimic whatever Shikamaru did, and my best friend decided to make Dosu look like a complete moron, by making him stand with his hand over his head, fingers together pointing down.

"Why are you just standing there like that?" Kin asked, slightly annoyed.

Shikamaru moved his hands to where the fingers were facing outward and the heels of the hands perpendicular to the temples.

"Ino, I'll leave the girl to you." Shikamaru told her.

"Got it, just take care of my body while I'm gone." Ino smiled and made a hand sign, nearly similar to 'Bird'. "Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu."

A second later, Kin's expression changed, and Ino's body fell limp, which Shikamaru caught.

Zaku was growing frustrated with the whole fight and called out to Kin, who was motionless.

"Kin!" he yelled. "What's wrong with you?"

I know enough about Ino's jutsu that she took control over Kin's body. She smirked and held a kunai to her neck. "Party's over fellas." she giggled. "Now listen carefully because this is how it's gonna go down or your teammate here gets it in the neck. So here's what you're going to do; just drop the scroll and walk away."

Dosu and Zaku just stood there, not complying.

"_I don't like the looks of this." _I thought.

"Hey Choji!" Ino called through Kin's body.

"Coming!" Choji called back, changing his direction.

Zaku aimed one of his palms towards Kin and blasted an air stream, which Choji managed to divert, but the force knocked both of them back. Blood trickled from Ino's mouth.

"Now this is bad." I gasped.

"What kind of monster would attack their own teammate?" Ino asked, her spirit still in Kin's body.

"I guess, monsters like us." Zaku chuckled.

"See, we don't play this game by your rules." Dosu added. "We don't care about teamwork or about passing this test."

"What then?" I asked. "Why are you guys really here?"

"Sasuke." Dosu said.

* * *

I gasped. I wanted to ask exactly what they wanted with Sasuke, but I was afraid to know the answer.

Shikamaru's shadow wavered a bit before the jutsu broke altogether. And that wasn't a good thing.

"So, your paralysis jutsu has a limit I see." Dosu said, flexing his fingers.

"Possession jutsu." Shikamaru corrected. "Get your jutsus right."

"And I can see your teammate has the ability to slip her soul into her opponent's body." Dosu added, figuring out Ino's jutsu. "So anything that happens to Kin happens to her too."

"So what are you gonna do? Kill your own teammate?" Shikamaru asked.

"If push comes to shove, than yes." Zaku aimed his palm towards Kin.

"Oh man, this is a real drag." Shikamaru complained.

"Yeah, no kidding." Choji agreed.

"Did you really think you could beat us?" Zaku asked. "You ninja are all a bunch of hacks."

"From a second rate village." Dosu added.

* * *

"Oh really? That's pretty tough talk." came a new voice, that sounded oddly familiar.

We all turned our attention to Lee's two teammates; Tenten and Neji Hyūga.

"I guess that makes your village third rate." Neji said. "I wonder if any of you amateurs are ready to take on the real thing."

"It's Lee's team." Sakura gasped. "I wondered when they would get here."

I chuckled. "Better late than never right?"

"These genin keep popping out of the forest like cockroaches." Dosu huffed.

"It looks to me like someone used our teammate as a punching bag." Neji pointed out, seeing Lee unconscious on the ground. Then the pupils became very distinct in his near-white eyes and the veins in his temples bulged. "No one does that and gets away with it!"

I gasped when I looked into his eyes, it was like he was seeing right through us. He even had the sound ninja spooked, Lee and his team were defiantly no push overs.

Neji had his arms folded over his chest, "No more playing around Tenten." he said, addressing his female teammate. "Full power."

Tenten nodded and pulled a kunai knife from her holster. She froze though, when Neji broke his jutsu, his eyes returning to normal.

* * *

"_Something's here." _Helena whimpered.

"_Welcome back to the party." _I snapped at her.

Helena gulped._ "Something's here. Something…Evil" _she whimpered again.

And suddenly, I felt was she was feeling. A dark, ominous presence was close, and it sent shivers down my spine. I gulped, tasting nothing but copper and iron.

"_Where is this chakra coming from?"_ I asked.

Helena whimpered. _"You don't want to know." _she said. _"Don't turn around."_

Now that answer made me want to know even more, then I remembered. The mark on Sasuke's neck. I turned my head and saw dark purple streams surrounding his body. _"I only thought Helena's chakra was that color." _I thought, remembering some of my earlier dreams about the demon wolf. Soon, Sasuke's body was engulfed in the dark purple chakra.

"_This is not good." _Helena gulped.

Sasuke slowly rose to his feet, the purple chakra swirling around him like a vortex. I gasped because he seemed…no looked different. Half of his body was covered in small, flame-like marks.

"_The Cursed Seal of Heaven." _Helena whimpered. She receded into my subconscious, curling up into a ball, whimpering and shivering, eyes shut as tightly as she could get them.

"Sasuke?" I questioned. My demon seal pulsated, causing me great pain as I coughed again, blood pouring my mouth and wound.

Sasuke's breathing was heavy, "Who did this to you?" he asked, almost growling. The question was directed at both me and Sakura, who were both speechless, wide-eyed, and scared at who we saw.

"Who was it that did this to you girls?" he asked again.

As the chakra vortex died down a bit, I noticed that Sasuke's eyes weren't their normal Onyx color, but red, because of his Sharingan. That, combined with the chakra vortex and half of his body covered in black markings, made me terrified of him.

"_That is not the same Sasuke Uchiha I grew up knowing my whole life." _I thought, shivering. The look in his eyes was different, filled with the desire to kill.

Not only was I freaked out but so was Sakura, Choji, Ino, Shikamaru, the sound ninja, and even Lee's two teammates. No one knew what was really going on, they just knew that Sasuke wasn't himself.

"Sasuke, what's happened to you?" Sakura asked, her voice shaking.

Sasuke looked at her, then to me, then to his own hand. "Don't worry, I'm alright. It's just the power flowing through me." he said. "In fact, I've never felt more alive. He gave me this gift…"

By 'he', I was hoping he didn't mean Orochimaru.

"_Wishful thinking hon." _Helena scoffed.

"_Says the one curled up in a ball, whimpering." _I snapped.

"_Because I know what that seal is capable of. Sorry, your boy's gone and joined the dark side." _Helena said.

I shut her out myself, not wanting to hear her.

"I am an avenger." Sasuke went on. "To follow my path I must have power. Even if means giving my body to evil."

I gasped. _"He would go that far just to kill him?" _I thought. _"What does this mean for the rest of us?"_

I had the sudden feeling that my life would never be same after these exams, and I made it a priority to talk to my father about this, and hoped there was something he could do about the Cursed Seal of Heaven.

"Now one of you girls tell me." Sasuke said, to both Sakura and I. "Which one of these people did this to you?"

Zaku smirked. "That would be me." he said, sounding almost happy that he beat Sakura and I about a few inches from our lives.

Sasuke's eyes darted to where Zaku stood. He faced him, anger in his Sharingan eyes.

"Kris, what the hell is goin on?" Shikamaru asked, kneeling in front of me.

I gripped the collar of his mesh t-shirt with my free hand, trying not to collapse. "A piece of advice, one friend to another…" I coughed. "Get the hell outta here. You, Choji, and Ino, go…" I lowered my head so I wouldn't cough blood on Shikamaru.

Shikamaru placed his hand on my shoulder, rubbing it. He then moved it under my chin, lifting my face to meet his. "We won't be far, okay?" he said, wiping the blood from my mouth.

I nodded. He leaned down and kissed my forehead before running for the bushes to take cover. He called for Choji, who scurried to the bushes. Ino released her jutsu on Kin, her spirit returning to her own body.

* * *

I looked up at Sasuke, who's face was contorted in anger. The black marks on the left side of his face extended to the right, covering his face entirely, making him look even more…evil. As the marks extended, his chakra grew, as such the nature of a seal.

I gulped, terrified at the sight I was witnessing.

Zaku cracked a smirk, placing his palms together. "Dosu!" Zaku called. "What's wrong? Not getting cold feet are ya?"

Despite Dosu's pleas, Zaku aimed his 'Supersonic Slicing Wave' right at us. Everything happened in a swift motion. First, Sakura and I were in front of the tree, with Sasuke standing in between us. The next thing, all four of us were moved out of the wave's reach. The seal was defiantly doing its job. Not only did it increase Sasuke's chakra, but it also increased his speed and strength. How else did he manage to move me and Sakura, and an unconscious Naruto, to safety. He moved us behind Zaku, without him even realizing it.

"Ha, I blew them away." Zaku gloated.

"Nice try." Sasuke rebuked, backhanding Zaku, sending him skidding to Dosu's feet. Both sound ninja were amazed at Sasuke's newly acquired speed.

Sasuke's speed was so much faster, I couldn't follow. He executed the 'Phoenix Flower Jutsu' hiding shuriken in the flames, which Zaku fell victim to. Then, in a blink of an eye, Sasuke was behind Zaku, holding his arms behind him, his foot on his back. His lips curled back in a devilish smile.

"You seem to be very fond of these arms of yours." Sasuke said. "You must be very, attached to them."

I gulped. Sasuke was defiantly different. He was way more fiercer…darker.

Sasuke put more pressure on Zaku's back and pulled on his arms. Zaku was afraid for his life in that moment. Sasuke's smile widened as he pulled harder, and I heard bones breaking.

Sakura and I gasped. I shut my eyes, horrified that Sasuke would even do that. It was in that moment, I knew that the Sasuke Uchiha I've known all my life, the Sasuke I called one of my best friends growing up, was forever changed.

Zaku passed out on the ground, leaving Dosu the Sound ninja left standing. Sasuke slowly approached him, "I hope you make things more interesting than your friend did." he growled. Dosu stood motionless.

* * *

As much as I wanted to, I couldn't move. My body was sore all over, the wound on my hip was causing me so much pain that I felt like I would pass out at any moment. My head throbbed like crazy, making my vision a bit hazy.

"Sasuke." I choked out. "Please, don't do it." I begged. I was in tears now, half because of the pain my body was in, and half because my best friend was slipping away from me.

Sakura did what I wasn't capable of doing. She got up and ran to Sasuke, yelling at him to stop. She latched her arms around his waist, burying her face in his back. "Stop…please." she begged, crying.

The marks on Sasuke's body receded, and he collapsed backwards, gasping for breath. I sighed in relief that he seemed to be back to normal. But this was no time for celebrating. Everything was different now.

"You're strong, Sasuke." Dosu said, pulling out an Earth scroll. "Too strong." he added. "We could never hope to defeat you the way you are now. I want to strike a deal." Dosu set the Earth scroll down. "I give you the scroll and you let us go."

Dosu backed away and grabbed his two unconscious teammates. "it would seem we underestimated you. But that won't happen again." he said. "If we should ever again meet in combat, I promise you, we won't run or hide." and with that, he turned and walked away.

"Hold it!" Sakura called, making Dosu halt his movements. "Who is this Orochimaru anyway? What's he done to Sasuke? And why Sasuke?"

"I don't know." Dosu answered, sternly. "All I know is we were ordered to target Sasuke, and we did."

I growled in my throat, angered at the lack of answers we were getting. Dosu turned back and walked away from us.

* * *

"_Now that that's all over with…" _I thought, my vision blurring. _"time to rest…"_

I felt arms wrap around me, holding me tightly. "Kris, speak to me." the voice belonged to Shikamaru.

I looked up into his eyes and leaned into his shoulder, sighing in relief. "I'm so glad you're alright." tears fell from my eyes.

Shikamaru chuckled, "Me alright? You're the one who has all the bruises." he helped me sit up, and I immediately gripped my side.

"Ah, damn, why won't it go away?" I muttered, wincing at the throbbing pain.

Shikamaru's hand covered mine, "What is it? What's wrong?" he asked, his voice full of worry.

"Dosu." I choked out. "He threw a kunai at me." I replied. "My adrenaline was pumping so fast that I didn't even register the pain until…until you showed up."

I leaned into him for support, gasping for breath. Shikamaru held me tightly, stroking my back.

"How much…how much of the fight did you see before…" I coughed again, and tried to catch my breath.

"Long enough to see your transformation." Shikamaru answered, patting my back.

I closed my eyes and shuddered. "I was hoping you hadn't seen that." I admitted. "I never wanted either of you to see me past Stage One."

My seal regressed and as it did, I felt even more weak than I did before, like all of strength just left me. My hand was still pressed to my wound, and my vision was blurring.

"Hang in there Kris." Shikamaru said to me, holding me against his body, his hand over mine.

"My bag." I said. "My dad packed a small first aid kit, hurry."

"I'll get it." Choji said.

Shikamaru caressed my face, "Stay with me Kris." he said. "Just stay with me."

I looked up into his brown eyes and smiled. I had defiantly hit my limit during the battle, and now I was laying in my friend's arms.

Choji returned with the first aid kit and I gave him the rundown on how to use it. Thankfully my dad packed a small vial of morphine (don't know how he got his hands on that), because I was in serious pain. Even for me telling him how to do it, Choji stitched my wound up pretty well.

I winced every now and then, but that was just because of the pulling of the thread. But thank goodness my wound wasn't that wide, it was only a few inches, maybe two or three, in length.

"There, now let me clean the blood off around it." Choji said, dumping some water on my wound. I flinched, just because it was cold.

Shikamaru lifted me up so my head rested in the crook of his neck. My arms were wrapped around his neck, giving me support. I closed my eyes and took deep, slow breaths. I couldn't explain it but, Shikamaru's scent actually calmed me down.

"Thanks." I muttered.

"No problem." Shikamaru replied. "This is what friends are for."

I looked up at him, "I meant for stepping in when you did. My whole team would be dead if it wasn't for you." I smiled and leaned into him, sighing. "I owe you one, big time Shikamaru."

He chuckled. "That doesn't matter to me." he said. "The only thing that does matter is that you're alive." he moved my hair to the side, draping the uneven lavender locks over my shoulder.

I turned my head and body into him, hugging him. "Thanks for everything. I could never have made it without you."

Shikamaru hugged be back, "Anytime Kris. I'll always be here for you."

* * *

Choji tied new bandages around my waist, covering my wound. "There, all better." he said, smiling.

I turned to face him, "Thanks Choji." I held my fist out and he bumped it, smiling at me. He then pulled out the butterfly clip and held it in his palm. "I'm still surprised you kept it." he said.

"Of course, I told you I would wear it all the time." I replied. "I've just kept it in my pouch on missions since I didn't want to loose it. I guess I was feeling sentimental when I put it in my hair."

Choji smiled and placed the clip in my hair, pinning some of my hot pink bangs out of my face. He then handed me my headband and my ribbon, which was frayed at the ends. Using Shikamaru as support, I pulled my hair back in a ponytail, tying the ribbon around and using the clip to keep it in place. I then tied my headband around my waist, the metal protector laying over my left hip, making it hang at an angle.

"Need help standing?" Choji asked.

I nodded and the two boys helped me up. I grunted as I put pressure on my legs, my muscles were sore and practically screaming at me.

"You gonna be okay?" Shikamaru asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I just need to rest is all."

"I have to admit though Kris," Choji said. "you defiantly gave us a scare."

I chuckled. "Sorry, I just thought it was my time to be the one who does the fighting, my turn to lay my life on the line for those I care about."

"You were great. You really hung in there." Shikamaru complimented.

"Yeah, I guess." I sighed.

"You've really come a long way." Shikamaru said, wiping some blood from my cheek.

I leaned my head on his shoulder, smiling. I looked around and saw Ino was helping an unconscious Lee, Sasuke and Sakura were still where they were, and Naruto was still out of it.

* * *

That didn't last long. He woke up screaming and looked around. "Everyone hide!" he yelled, laying flat on his stomach and held his arms over his head.

Choji took a nearby stick and hit Naruto over the head. "What the hell was that for?" he yelled.

He then looked at me, paused a few seconds, then pointed his finger and yelled, "Holy hell! Kristin what happened to your hair!?"

I used my free hand to cover my ear. "Damn Naruto, as if my head wasn't pounding hard enough already."

Naruto stared wide-eyed, in shock over my drastic, and sudden, haircut.

"You really are one of a kind Naruto." Shikamaru sighed. "And by that I mean, you're the kind that gets on my nerves."

"Welcome to my hell." I muttered, leaning into Shikamaru for support.

Naruto looked around and spotted Sakura and Sasuke, and he also noticed Sakura's hair as well.

"The attention span of a knat." I muttered.

"We're sorry." Choji and Shikamaru apologized in unison.

* * *

We joined my team as Naruto turned back to us. "So what's your story anyway?" he asked. "What are you guys doing here? What's going on anyway?"

Typical Naruto, sleeps during the action and he expects to get caught up.

"Explaining everything to you is gonna be such a pain." Shikamaru sighed.

"Short version Naruto," I cut in. "They showed up to help, so we owe them."

Naruto scowled. "You really expect me to believe that they stepped in to help during a battle?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

I glared and knocked him over the head with my right fist, since my left arm was draped around Shikamaru's neck as my means of support. "Yes, if it wasn't for Shikamaru and his team, Sakura and I would've been killed, along with the two of you." I told him, "So yeah. Believe it Naruto."

"I guess I'll take your word for it." Naruto said, still scowling at my friends.

"See guys, didn't I tell you his stupidity would get me killed?" I asked them. "Because I almost was."

"But you're alive okay." Shikamaru pointed out. "That's the main thing. No one died."

I sighed, and decided it was best not to argue. I looked over and saw that that Lee was awake and his female teammate, Tenten, was talking to him. Naruto muttered something and Sakura and I both punched him.

"Geesh, what the hell happened when I was asleep?" Naruto asked aloud.

I chuckled and suddenly, and wave of dizziness came over me.

"Careful there." Shikamaru said, catching me. He slung my left arm around his shoulders and helped support me.

I smiled and bent down, picking up the Earth scroll Dosu was so kind enough to leave behind. "This little puppy is ours now." I chuckled, placing it in my ninja pouch. "Good thing too, since that grass ninja burnt the Heaven scroll we had."

"What?" Choji asked.

I looked at him, "Oh nothing." I chuckled. I didn't want to tell them about our encounter with Orochimaru. At least, not yet. They were worried about me enough already, I didn't need to give them another reason to worry. I would fill them in after this exam.

"Thanks again boys, you're the greatest friends." I said, I really couldn't thank them enough for saving my life. And to show that I was grateful, I kissed both of them on the cheek. Choji smiled and giggled, but Shikamaru was caught a bit off guard. I giggled and smiled.

Sakura sat in front of Ino, who was trimming some of Sakura's hair, trying to make it more even I guess.

"So what are you gonna do about your hair?" Shikamaru asked, running his finger through my uneven lavender ponytail.

I looked at it and sighed, realizing that it probably looked really bad considering the angle at which I sliced through it. "I'll probably trim it later on, or after the exam." I replied, putting a smile on. "After all, you boys know I'm not that girly that I would throw a fit about my hair."

"True." Choji agreed.

"You just be careful." Shikamaru told me.

"Same to you." I replied.

Tenten helped Lee to his feet and the two were coming my way.

"Oh Lee." I said, facing him, still leaning on Shikamaru.

"Kristin, glad to see you are okay." Lee replied, putting on a smile.

I smiled back. "After watching what you did for Sakura, I realized I misjudged you." I admitted. "From now on, you have my thanks, and my deepest respect."

Lee gasped, "Well thank you." he said. "That is very nice of you."

I chuckled. "It doesn't matter that our senseis are arch rivals, I still respect you."

"Take care of yourself." Tenten said to me, before joining Neji, who was in the same spot he was when they arrived. And then, the three were off.

I sighed and leaned into Shikamaru, just glad I had a friend to lean on. After Ino finished Sakura's hair, Team Ten was off, with the promise that we would see each other at the tower.

Now we just had to find a Heaven scroll and make it there in once piece, and in three days. No problem.

* * *

Next time…

**Naruto**: I'm gonna look inside the scroll.

**Sasuke**: Uh, no you're not.

**Naruto**: Come on, what's the harm?

**Sakura**: I'll show the harm.

**Naruto**: C'mon, just one little peek.

**Kristin**: What part of 'don't look inside the scrolls' did you not comprehend?

**Sakura**: No means no, understand!

**Sasuke**: Remember what the test administrator said? You peek and we all fail.

**Kristin**: And we've come too far to fail now!

**Naruto**: But that only makes me wanna peek more.

**Kristin**: Next time: **The Scroll's Secret: No Peeking Allowed! **Here that Naruto? You peek inside that scroll…

**Helena**: and we'll kill you!

* * *

**A/N: **Well there it is guys! I know it's a bit longer than normal, but that's just because part of the episode cut into the next one, which Kristin and her team aren't in much. So I'm skipping straight to the next one. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and keep the events in mind because they will be touched upon in later chapters. Review please, and no flames^^

XOXO~Cyber


	33. The Scroll's Secret

**The Scroll's Secret: No Peeking Allowed! **

* * *

It's been a day since our run in with the sound ninja genin, and we hadn't had much luck in obtaining a Heaven scroll. The majority of our injuries had healed, but I was still a little shaken up about the whole Curse Seal thing. I asked Sasuke about it and he told me not to tell anyone, emphasizing the word 'anyone'.

We set up a campsite near the river, hiding ourselves as best we could. We divided up the responsibilities on who goes looking for food, firewood, those kinds of things. As the sun was setting, we were busy cooking the fish Sasuke had caught while Sakura and I gathered firewood.

The small fire had attracted an unexpected visitor.

"Guys, I think I heard something." Naruto whispered, grabbing a kunai from his holster.

The three of us sighed. "Naruto, I think you have post-traumatic stress from our encounter with that weird Grass ninja." Sakura said.

Sakura, Sasuke, and myself had agreed not to tell Naruto that it was really Orochimaru who had attacked us, for his own sanity.

"I'm serious, something is watching us!" Naruto whined.

"Give it a rest Naruto." I snapped.

Then we all heard a rustle in the bushes and immediately grabbed our kunai knives.

"Keep your guards up." Sasuke reminded.

We nodded and stood our ground. Out of the bushes emerged a large lion with brown fur, a black mane, and a tan muzzle. His eyes were dark blue, and he seemed to be staring right at me.

"_Helgo?" _Helena thought.

"_Who?" _I asked her.

"_My brother." _she answered.

I gasped and slowly holstered my kunai knife. I slowly stepped forward, holding my hands out in front of me, to show peace. Helgo's eyes met mine and he lowered his muzzle.

"Kristin, what are you doing?" Naruto asked, stepping up beside me.

"Trust me Naruto." I snapped, turning my face him. "I can handle this." I turned back to Helgo and locked my eyes with him. He seemed to calm down after a minute or two.

"Kovu?" I questioned and Helgo blinked. He then stepped back into the bushes and hid from us.

I sensed a change in chakra and from where Helgo once stood, a young boy, a couple year or two older than me emerged. He had short, spiky, white hair and blue eyes that matched mine. He wore a forest green, short-sleeved shirt with a high collar around the neck, khaki shorts, black arm warmers, and blue sandals. He carried a dark blue duffle bag and faced us all.

"Where did he come from?" Sakura asked.

"A lion that turned into a guy?" Naruto questioned. He closed his eyes and pondered that thought.

Sasuke just stood there and glared at him, while I was suppressing the urge to run up and hug him.

But instead I calmly took a breath and sighed. "Long time no see." I said, walking closer to him.

"You stole my line." he smirked. "What kind of greeting is that for your big brother?"

I smiled and jumped into his open arms. Kovu hugged me and rubbed my back. "I've missed you." I cried. "I thought you were gone for good."

"Mom and I managed to escape and we hid in a small village a few day's journey from here." Kovu replied, pulling away.

"So mom's alive too?" I asked, shocked. "Is she here with you? Where is she?" I looked around the bushes behind him, looking for my mother.

Kovu sighed. "No Kris, I'm sorry." he said, pushing me away so he could look at me. "Mom died a few months ago." he informed. "The elder of the village has arranged for her body to be transported here and buried in the family shrine. I journeyed ahead to inform the Hokage, but it appears I got lost."

I shuddered. Kovu patted my shoulder, "It's okay sis." he kissed my forehead.

I was at a loss for words. "How did you find me? Us?" I asked him.

Kovu smiled and touched my nose. "I tracked you." he answered. "Sure lions don't have keen senses as wolves do, but I managed." he smiled down at me. "When the scent got low, I found a pool of blood not far from here and it matched your scent.

I bit my lip and pulled away from him, as I remembered the fight from the previous day.

"Mind filling me in on what you're doing here? And who they are?" Kovu motioned to the rest of my team.

"For your information, we're taking the Chūnin Exams!" Naruto yelled.

Me, Sakura, and Sasuke shot him a glare. Kovu raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"When did you guys graduate the Academy?" he asked.

"About five and a half months ago." I answered.

"And you're taking the Chūnin Selection Exams?" he questioned. "As Rookies?"

"We're not the only ones." Sasuke informed.

"All thirteen of us are taking them." Sakura added. "All thirteen rookies."

Kovu nodded.

"And we're gonna be the team that beats them all!" Naruto yelled.

"Excuse me." I whispered to my brother.

Sakura and I both hit Naruto over the head. "Ow, geesh what the hell!?"

"Can it moron!" Sakura barked.

Naruto huffed and sat on the ground.

"So what are we gonna do about him?" Sasuke asked, in reference to Kovu.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know, mean we can't use outside help."

"And we don't have time to mess around." Sasuke added.

"But we can't just leave him out here in the forest." I pointed out. "Maybe he can come with us to the tower and the Hokage will know what to do."

"I agree with Kristin on that one." Sakura voiced.

I looked at my pink haired teammate and smiled. "Thanks." then I turned to my brother. "You can stay with us, but if we come across another ninja team, don't help us." I said, walking towards my brother. "We have to pass this exam on our own."

Kovu nodded, "Lead the way, little sister."

I smiled and threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

* * *

The next day we made camp by the river, about a little over halfway to the tower. And we have yet to encounter a team with a heaven scroll. We were running low on time, and frankly, running low on hope we would pass this second exam.

Naruto and Sasuke were busy catching breakfast while Sakura and Kovu worked on setting up the fire pit. Me, I was airing out my wound on my hip, which was healing smoothly.

"Sasuke!" Sakura called. "The fire's ready to light. I could use one of your fireballs."

I rolled my eyes and let out a sigh. I was soon overshadowed by my pink haired teammate.

"How are you Kristin?" she asked.

I sat up, my lavender hair draping over my shoulder. "I'm okay, the wound isn't bothering me much anymore." I smiled.

"Well, we should still clean it for now, and after this exam, the medical corp. can take a look at it." Sakura pulled out a thermos of water and a wash rag.

She wetted the rag and dabbed at my wound, causing me to flinch.

"Sorry." Sakura apologized. "Is it still sore?"

"A little bit." I answered. "I think it's starting to bruise."

Sakura examined my wound and slightly nodded. "It's black and blue over the red marks, so yeah. I guess it's bruising."

I smiled weakly and sighed. After Sakura finished cleaning my wound, I wrapped fresh bandages around my mid-section and tied my headband around my waist.

Naruto and Sasuke set the fish around the fire and let them cook.

"It's already been four days since the second exam began." Sasuke noted. "We're sure not gonna break any records."

"I wonder how many of the other teams have already received their scrolls ad finished." Sakura wondered.

"And we only have twenty four hours left until the exam ends." I added. "Speaking of its time to change scroll handlers."

Sasuke held the Earth Scroll in his hand, "Yeah, you're up Kris." he said, tossing the scroll to me.

I caught it and stuffed it in my ninja pouch, right in between two of my 'Water Summoning Scrolls'. The fish finished cooking and we ate in silence.

"Let's face it, there might not be any more Heaven Scrolls left." Sakura sighed.

"Well that's a very optimistic attitude." Sasuke scoffed.

I sighed. "That may be," I agreed. "but Sasuke you said it yourself, it's been four days, that means we've used up eighty percent of the time allotted to complete the exam." "Meaning now we have a ten percent chance of passing." Sakura added. "And also factor in that at least fourteen or fifteen teams could pass because there's only fourteen or fifteen complete pairs of scrolls."

"And don't forget that Orochimaru burnt the Heaven Scroll we originally had." I reminded. The memory of him igniting the scroll flashed in my mind and I shivered, because the rogue Sanin still scared me. "The number of complete pairs was reduced by one right there."

Sakura and I sighed in unison.

"C'mon, you guys can't give up yet." Kovu encouraged. "What would your sensei say if he knew you all threw in the towel so easily?"

I rolled my eyes, "You tell me bro? His blood flows through our veins."

Kovu smirked and rolled his eyes. "You can't give up yet."

"Easier said then done." Sakura sighed, lowering her half eaten fish.

I pulled the Earth Scroll out and overlooked it. Then I set it down between myself and Naruto.

"I think we've given ourselves too much time to rest and recover from our last fight." Sasuke said. "The next enemy we fight could be our last chance to pass this exam." he stood up, carrying the five thermoses, "I'm gonna go get more water."

"I'll go with you." Kovu volunteered, standing up and discarding the fish skeleton. "Just because I can't help you fight, doesn't mean I have to be completely useless." he smiled at Sasuke.

My teammate rolled his eyes and handed my brother two thermoses. "Come on." he motioned.

The two boys walked into the forest towards the river.

* * *

Naruto picked up the scroll, "Hey girls." he whispered. "I have a way we can pass the exam and not have to fight anybody."

Sakura and I exchanged glances and mirrored each other's confused look. Naruto dumped out scrolls from his ninja pouch and grinned. "All we have to do is make one of these scrolls look like a Heaven Scroll."

"No way!" we rebuked in unison.

"Even if w could fake the outside, how do you fake what's inside?" Sakura asked. "You couldn't possibly know what without reading it."

"And that's totally against the rules." I added. "You nimrod, after we've gotten this close to the end, you want to disqualify us!?'

"Next time you have a brilliant idea, keep it to yourself." Sakura advised. I nodded in agreement.

"We do have a clue to what's inside the Heaven Scroll." Naruto said, pointing the Earth Scroll at us.

"You wouldn't dare." I challenged, narrowing my eyes at Naruto.

"We don't have a choice." Naruto admitted. "I'm gonna open and read this scroll."

Sakura and I punched him in the head. "Idiot!" We yelled.

"We are expressly forbidden from opening the scrolls!" Sakura added.

Naruto put his hands on his head, "Yeah but if we don't read it, we'll never pass." he whined.

Sakura and I looked at each other and then to the ground. The Earth Scroll laid in the middle of the three of us.

"_I expected more from you." _Helena barked. _"To actually contemplate going against the rules, tsk, tsk, tsk."_

I rolled my eyes, still looking at the Earth Scroll in front of me.

Naruto picked it up and his began shaking. I didn't know how, but I swore I could hear all of our heartbeats echoing in my ears. I exchanged glances with Sakura and Naruto, and we all gave each other a nod.

Just as Naruto was about to open the scroll, a purple, gloved hand reached out and stopped him. The person that hand was connected to was the same person from the first exam who had those ninja info cards, Kabuto Yakushi.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." he warned.

Sasuke and Kovu ran up to us.

* * *

"What the hell is going on here?" Sasuke asked.

Kabuto tossed the Earth Scroll to Sasuke. "Your teammates here almost opened up the scroll."

Sasuke gasped and looked at the three of us, and we looked at the ground.

"I can't believe you guys." Sasuke berated, folding his arms over his chest.

"Be glad I got here when I did." Kabuto said. "I've seen what happens to people when they try to open the scrolls. It's protected by a hypnosis jutsu, a kinda of booby trap for anyone foolish enough to try and read them."

"What are you doing way out here anyway Kabuto?" I asked.

"I was just on my way to the tower to wait for my teammates." he answered. He pulled a set of Heaven and Earth scrolls from his pouch. "So now, if you guys will excuse me." Kabuto turned to walk away.

"Hold it." Sasuke ordered. "I'll fight you for the Heaven Scroll."

Kabuto turned his head back to Sasuke. "You'll fight me for it?" he repeated.

"What!" Naruto exclaimed. "This guy just saved our asses! You really wanna fight him?"

I rolled my eyes.

Sakura nodded weakly. "He has a point Sasuke." she said. "We don't wanna seem ungrateful or anything."

"Shut up." Sasuke barked. "It's either him or us. Out here it's all about survival and winning."

Kabuto smirked. "You're lying." he said. "Despite your tough talk, your heart isn't in it."

Sasuke growled and furrowed his eyebrows.

"If you were really intent on winning, you wouldn't have openly challenged me." Kabuto added. "You would've jumped me when my back was turned. After all, that's what a ninja would do." Kabuto pushed his glasses up his nose.

"That is really deep." Kovu sighed.

I looked over and slapped his chest.

"But I'll be nice and show you the path you should take, if you wish to pass that is." Kabuto smiled. "And we should hurry. That cooking fire will attract every wild beast in this forest, as well as the competition."

We took a vote and unanimously agreed to follow Kabuto, wanting to pass this exam before the deadline.

* * *

We took to the trees, with Kabuto leading the way.

"You really think there are other candidates still out here?" Sasuke asked Kabuto.

"Yeah." Kabuto answered. "Think about it. What is the most efficient way to gather what you need in an exam like this? Go searching all over the forest for what you desire?" he asked.

"Uh, no." I answered.

"Exactly. The tower is the goal right? So on the last day, every team is going to be headed there with their scrolls."

"Oh I get it, like an ambush." Sakura gasped. "So we'll lie in wait at the tower, and when someone comes by with a heaven scroll, we jump 'em."

"That's only one third of it." Kabuto said.

Kovu smiled. "You guys aren't the only ones who will be trying this." he said. "Every other team lacking a scroll will be doing the exact same thing."

I looked over at him. "So that means we'll have to fight our way to get a scroll and inside the tower before we can get ambushed." I said, my lavender ponytail swinging behind me.

"Well the more the merrier, bring 'em on!" Naruto laughed. "After all, we wouldn't want this to be too easy. So we'll just have to make sure to grab a scroll before those losers try and take ours."

I frowned, "I just said that idiot." I groaned.

"That's two thirds of the problem." Kabuto added. "The third are collectors; those who seek to gain multiple pairs of scrolls for their own reasons."

* * *

We laid in wait when night fell, and the tower was visible in the moonlight. We all slowly approached it, then halted when we heard a rustling. Naruto threw his kunai in the same direction and struck something, making a squishy noise.

Sakura and I turned in the direction and bit back a scream. The creature was a giant centipede stuck to the tree, Naruto's kunai stuck in its head.

"That thing is as big as a bus." Sakura gulped.

"It's just a centipede." Kovu noted.

I shivered. "That thing is huge, and creepy."

Kabuto looked at Naruto. "Try keeping it at a dull roar will ya?" he said. "The whole point is to find the enemy before they find us. If you charge around like an elephant you'll lure them right to us. We need to keep our guard up from here on out."

* * *

It felt like forever trying to reach the tower, and along the way Naruto tripped a booby trap, and Kabuto saved him by using a substitution jutsu to take the hit for him. Time dragged on and the tower didn't look any closer than it was when we started.

Sakura and I collapsed on our knees, catching our breath.

"How far have we walked?" Sakura asked. "That tower isn't getting any closer."

I looked forward, and noticed the same thing.

"It would seem we've been spotted." Kabuto informed. He then pointed to the side, to the centipede Naruto hit a while back.

"What the hell?" I asked, confused.

"_Genjutsu would be my guess." _Helena said.

"Genjutsu right?" Kovu asked.

"It would appear that way." Kabuto answered. "The main objective was to where us down." he added. "And strike when we're frustrated and weak."

"Kinda like we are right now?" Sasuke asked.

"Exactly." Kabuto answered.

A rustling noise caught our attention, and we all brought our guard back up. Then suddenly, clones of one Ame ninja came out of the surrounding trees. The clones surrounded us, trapping us.

"Well Naruto, you sad you wanted a fight." Sasuke said, smirking.

Naruto smiled. "Six against sixty, I like those odds."

I rolled my eyes and prepared myself for the fight ahead.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Naruto: **If these guys want a battle of clones, I'll show them who has the better ones.

**Helena: **They're sure as hell not gonna steal out scroll after what we went through to get it.

**Kristin: **Next time: **Clone vs. Clone: Mine Are Better Than Yours! **This is gonna be a long, grueling night…


	34. Clone vs Clone

**Clone vs. Clone: Mine Are Better Then Yours!**

* * *

Sakura and I collapsed on our knees, catching our breath.

"How far have we walked?" Sakura asked. "That tower isn't getting any closer."

I looked forward, and noticed the same thing.

"It would seem we've been spotted." Kabuto informed. He then pointed to the side, to the centipede Naruto hit a while back.

"What the hell?" I asked, confused.

"_Genjutsu would be my guess." _Helena said.

"Genjutsu right?" Kovu asked.

"It would appear that way." Kabuto answered. "The main objective was to where us down." he added. "And strike when we're frustrated and weak."

"Kinda like we are right now?" Sasuke asked.

"Exactly." Kabuto answered.

A rustling noise caught our attention, and we all brought our guard back up. Then suddenly, clones of one Ame ninja came out of the surrounding trees. The clones surrounded us, trapping us.

"Well Naruto, you sad you wanted a fight." Sasuke said, smirking.

Naruto smiled. "Six against sixty, I like those odds."

I rolled my eyes and prepared myself for the fight ahead.

* * *

One of the clones chuckled, "Like cornered rats."

"I'll show you who the rats are!" Naruto yelled, charging forward. He punched the clone that spoke right in the stomach. But then, like it happened in slow motion, Naruto's fist went right through the clone, and a substance similar to mud.

"What the hell?" Kovu questioned.

"Are they real Shadow Clones?" I looked around at the things surrounding us. Normally, Shadow Clones disappear once you attack them, these things just got right back up.

Sasuke threw a few shuriken towards the clone Naruto hit, snapping me out of my daze. I looked over at him and saw he activated his Sharingan. Then, I was hit with a sensation that terrified me. A double bladed kunai was headed in his direction, and almost hit him. That is, until Kabuto pushed him out of the way, his arm getting scraped by the kunai knife.

"_The clones may just be illusions, but the weapons are real enough." _I thought.

Sasuke gagged and laid still on the ground, his eyes wide open.

"Sasuke?" I gulped, then I noticed a faint orange glow coming from his neck.

"_The Cursed Seal of Heaven." _Helena growled.

"Not again." I mumbled. I ran to his side and knelt beside him, and saw the curse mark try to spread across his body. "Sasuke!" I yelled, tapping his shoulder. "Sasuke!"

I could sense the power of the curse mark trying desperately to break free. _"Oh please God, not again." _I begged.

* * *

{Flashback}

"Sasuke?" I questioned. My demon seal pulsated, causing me great pain as I coughed again, blood pouring my mouth and wound.

Sasuke's breathing was heavy, "Who did this to you?" he asked, almost growling. The question was directed at both me and Sakura, who were both speechless, wide-eyed, and scared at who we saw.

"Who was it that did this to you girls?" he asked again.

As the chakra vortex died down a bit, I noticed that Sasuke's eyes weren't their normal Onyx color, but red, because of his Sharingan. That, combined with the chakra vortex and half of his body covered in black markings, made me terrified of him.

"_That is not the same Sasuke Uchiha I grew up knowing my whole life." _I thought, shivering. The look in his eyes was different, filled with the desire to kill.

Not only was I freaked out but so was Sakura, Choji, Ino, Shikamaru, the sound ninja, and even Lee's two teammates. No one knew what was really going on, they just knew that Sasuke wasn't himself.

I had the sudden feeling that my life would never be same after these exams, and I made it a priority to talk to my father about this, and hoped there was something he could do about the Cursed Seal of Heaven.

"Now one of you girls tell me." Sasuke said, to both Sakura and I. "Which one of these people did this to you?"

Zaku smirked. "That would be me." he said, sounding almost happy that he beat Sakura and I about a few inches from our lives.

Sasuke's eyes darted to where Zaku stood. He faced him, anger in his Sharingan eyes.

"Kris, what the hell is goin on?" Shikamaru asked, kneeling in front of me.

I gripped the collar of his mesh t-shirt with my free hand, trying not to collapse. "A piece of advice, one friend to another…" I coughed. "Get the hell outta here. You, Choji, and Ino, go…" I lowered my head so I wouldn't cough blood on Shikamaru.

Shikamaru placed his hand on my shoulder, rubbing it. He then moved it under my chin, lifting my face to meet his. "We won't be far, okay?" he said, wiping the blood from my mouth.

I looked up at Sasuke, who's face was contorted in anger. The black marks on the left side of his face extended to the right, covering his face entirely, making him look even more…evil. As the marks extended, his chakra grew, as such the nature of a seal.

I gulped, terrified at the sight I was witnessing.

Zaku cracked a smirk, placing his palms together. "Dosu!" Zaku called. "What's wrong? Not getting cold feet are ya?"

Despite Dosu's pleas, Zaku aimed his 'Supersonic Slicing Wave' right at us. Everything happened in a swift motion. First, Sakura and I were in front of the tree, with Sasuke standing in between us. The next thing, all four of us were moved out of the wave's reach. The seal was defiantly doing its job. Not only did it increase Sasuke's chakra, but it also increased his speed and strength. How else did he manage to move me and Sakura, and an unconscious Naruto, to safety. He moved us behind Zaku, without him even realizing it.

Both sound ninja were amazed at Sasuke's newly acquired speed.

Sasuke's speed was so much faster, I couldn't follow. He executed the 'Phoenix Flower Jutsu' hiding shuriken in the flames, which Zaku fell victim to. Then, in a blink of an eye, Sasuke was behind Zaku, holding his arms behind him, his foot on his back. His lips curled back in a devilish smile.

"You seem to be very fond of these arms of yours." Sasuke said. "You must be very, attached to them."

I gulped. Sasuke was defiantly different. He was way more fiercer…darker.

Sasuke put more pressure on Zaku's back and pulled on his arms. Zaku was afraid for his life in that moment. Sasuke's smile widened as he pulled harder, and I heard bones breaking.

Sakura and I gasped. I shut my eyes, horrified that Sasuke would even do that. It was in that moment, I knew that the Sasuke Uchiha I've known all my life, the Sasuke I called one of my best friends growing up, was forever changed.

As much as I wanted to, I couldn't move. My body was sore all over, the wound on my hip was causing me so much pain that I felt like I would pass out at any moment. My head throbbed like crazy, making my vision a bit hazy.

"Sasuke." I choked out. "Please, don't do it." I begged. I was in tears now, half because of the pain my body was in, and half because my best friend was slipping away from me.

{End Flashback}

* * *

I couldn't go through that again, watching Sasuke go through that, makes me sick to my stomach. I know what a seal does to the body, and watching one of my closest friends go through that same pain, made my heart ache in every way.

Sakura and I helped him sit up, and he was breathing heavily.

"This is Genjutsu alright." Sasuke told us.

"But that gash on Kabuto's arm is real enough." Sakura pointed out.

"That is true." Kabuto agreed. "The real enemy must be hiding in the forest somewhere."

"So they're attacking us from the shadows huh?" Kovu questioned, looking around.

"So how do we fight them, if we don't know exactly where they are?" I asked.

"We don't have much of a choice." Kabuto answered. "We just have to stand our ground."

"Fine, whatever." Naruto huffed.

Kunai came flying from all directions, and we managed to avoid them, barely. I ducked down and a kunai flew right over my face, barely cutting my pink bangs. The others we blocked with our own knives.

Naruto stood his ground and fought back, creating his own Shadow Clones.

"I'll show them that two can play at this game!" he yelled, forming his clones.

"The Shadow Clone jutsu?" Kovu asked, shocked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I would go as far to say it's Naruto's specialty." I told him.

Naruto's clones began fighting the Ame clones, and seemed to be getting the upper hand, that is, until the Ame clones began reforming themselves. The rest of us just stood by and watched, realizing Naruto had bitten off more then he can chew.

"We have no choice, we have to step in now." Sasuke huffed. "C'mon girls!"

Sakura and I glanced at each other and shrugged our shoulders, whipping our kunai from our holsters and following Sasuke into battle.

"Let's just hope these guys have the Heaven Scroll we need." Sakura said, slashing through one of the clones.

"I know, otherwise, this will have all been for nothing." I agreed, punching through a clone that came near me.

Kabuto and Kovu joined in, backing us up, and we sure did need it. We fought well into the night. By the time the sun came up, we were catching our breath, and staring down our enemies.

The real Ame ninja team stepped forward, and one of them I recognized.

* * *

{Flashback}

Sakura and I both trailed after Sasuke, and when we came across the battle, the Ame ninja was behind him. But Naruto showed up just in time, to toss Sasuke a kunai knife, which he flung at the Ame ninja with his foot. As the Ame ninja dodged, Sasuke stabbed his shoulder with another kunai.

"Nice shot Sasuke!" Sakura and I called.

"Don't just stand there you two, chances are this guy's not alone." Sasuke said. "Watch out, the others could strike at any second." Sasuke pulled the kunai knife from the Ame ninja's shoulder, blood dripped from the wound.

"I wish. I came alone in hopes not to arouse suspicion." he said, covering his wound. "Big mistake." then he turned around and retreated.

{End Flashback}

* * *

It was the same Ame ninja, the one who first attacked us at the start of the exam, only now he brought his teammates along with him.

"You, I remember you." he said, looking directly at Sasuke. "You're the little punk who stabbed me in the shoulder." the Ame ninja's eyes narrowed, "Well now I'm gonna pay you back for that, with interest." he chuckled.

I gritted my teeth and glared at the three Ame ninja coming towards us. Only, it wasn't really us…

* * *

I stood on a branch next to my brother and smiled at him. "Told you so Kovu." I taunted, giggling.

"Okay, so it actually worked." Kovu closed his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. "I give you Rookies credit, you know how to deceive your opponent."

I held up index finger, "'A ninja must see through deception.'" I quoted.

"Who told you that?" Kovu asked.

I smiled, "Dad." I answered.

Sakura giggled aloud, "Your plan worked like a charm Naruto."

"Now who's the cornered rats?" Sasuke added.

Naruto broke his Clone jutsu, revealing the rest of 'us' to be his Shadow Clones. The rest of us came out of our hiding places and stood behind the Ame team, smirking at them.

"How?" questioned the Ame leader.

Naruto smiled. "The Shadow Clones were only the first part." he answered. "The next thing was to figure out how to make clones for the rest of my squad." as he said that, the other clones disappeared.

"So while our clones did all the fighting and took the beating, we were hiding, waiting for you to come to us." Sasuke added.

"And I'll say it worked." I followed, smiling.

Naruto smiled and tried to move forward, but fell on his knee, panting.

"Naruto! Take a break, we can handle it from here." Sasuke said.

Just as we were going in for the attack, Naruto landed a punch to one of the Ame ninja's jaw, and sent all three of them to the ground. "After what I did, I'm not gonna let you guys hog all the fun."

I rolled my eyes and put my hands on my hips. _"Even when his chakra is almost completely gone, he still finds the strength to keep on fighting." _I thought. _"Naruto, you are and enigma to the world of Shinobi." _

The three Ame ninja made a hand sign similar to that for the 'Shadow Clone Jutsu', "Time is running out for all of us, so I guess we're gonna have to take the gloves off." said the lead ninja. "Ninja Art: Fog Clone Jutsu!" and multiple clones of them appeared.

"Shadow Clones?" Kovu asked.

"No, they're real clones." Sasuke corrected.

Naruto smirked. "If these are clones, then the real ones are hiding somewhere among them." he said. "I'll just smash my way through until I find the ones that squeal."

Naruto charged forward into the Ame ninja. I placed my hand on my forehead, let out a heavy sigh, and roll my eyes. _"And here I thought we were making progress on the teamwork thing." _I thought.

"Is he brain dead or what?" Kovu whispered in my ear.

"No he's just stupid." I answered. I reached behind me and pulled out my second 'Water Summoning Scroll' and I gripped it tightly in my hands. "If we really want to eliminate a large number of these clones, you need a quickly executed jutsu that could hit multiple targets at once, quickly and simultaneously."

"Wow Kristin, you sounded like Kakashi-sensei just now." Sakura smiled at me.

I smiled back and winked at her. "Well, after all girl, he did contribute part of my existence." I giggled. "I am his daughter after all."

Kovu placed his hand on my shoulder, "Sure you can do that? A jutsu like that?"

I showed him the scroll, "Of course I can. I've learned a few new tricks since becoming a ninja." I winked at my brother.

Kabuto jumped into the battle to aid Naruto, and Sasuke went to follow, but something stopped him. He just stood there, frozen.

"Sasuke?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. He just stood there, completely still. It looked like he had to try to move his body in order to do anything.

Once he reactivated his Sharingan, he collapsed on his knees, gripping his neck and yelling in pain.

"_Don't tell me it's the Curse Mark again." _I gasped, running over to him. I looked at his neck and, sure enough, the mark was glowing an orange color and trying to spread.

"Kabuto!" I heard Naruto yell.

I turned my head and saw Kabuto laying on the ground, and the Ame ninja coming in to attack, and kill, him.

"Kovu, please tell me you know something that could shake them out a bit, get them off balance?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Well, there's one, but uh…" he started.

"Good, use it, now!" I cut him off. I gripped my scroll, "Naruto! Get those ninja away from Kabuto, I have a plan!"

* * *

Naruto kicked the Ame ninja, just as Kovu executed his 'Earth Style: Seismic Shockwave', which shook the Ame ninja off balance, and off their guard.

I jumped into the air, feeling a sudden stab of pain in my left side, but I shook it off. I opened the scroll and drew blood on my thumb, and ran it over the length of the scroll's inside, _"Oh I hope this works." _I prayed.

I spun the scroll around me, building up momentum, and I executed the number of signs, as quickly as I could, Ox-Monkey-Hare-Rat-Boar-Bird-Ox-Horse-Bird-Rat-Tiger-Dog-Tiger-Snake-Ox-Ram-Snake-Boar-Ram-Rat-Yang Water-Monkey-Bird-Dragon-Bird-Ox-Horse-Ram-Tiger-Snake-Rat-Monkey-Hare-Boar-Dragon-Ram-Rat-Ox-Monkey-Bird-Yang Water-Rat-Boar-Bird, "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" I slammed my palms onto the scroll, summoning the water and created a huge Dragon, that I directed towards the Ame ninja, slamming them with the force of the water.

The attacked knocked them out cold, and I landed semi-gracefully, putting most of my weight on my right knee, panting. My ponytail draped over my shoulder, and water dripped from the edges.

"Nice move Kristin!" Sakura yelled, "That was awesome!"

"And totally exhausting." I gasped, collapsing on both of my knees. I put my arm around my stomach, and felt a small pulse in my demon seal, but it slowly died down.

Kovu helped me to my feet and slung my left arm around his shoulder, "Great job sis, I'm really proud of you." he kissed the side of my head.

"Thanks." I replied.

Naruto rummaged through the Ame ninja's packs and found the Heaven Scroll we needed, and we breathed a sigh of relief that we passed the exam…well almost.

* * *

We made our way to the tower, that wasn't really far from where we fought. Kabuto accompanied us until we got to our gate. That's when his teammates found us.

"You're late Kabuto." said the one with dark glasses wearing a purple cloth over his face.

"Sorry, I got a little…sidetracked." Kabuto apologized chuckling.

"Thanks again for helping us." Naruto said. "It's because of you we were able to get both of our scrolls."

"Not it wasn't, that was all you guys." Kabuto rebuked, chuckling. "Especially you Naruto, very impressive."

Naruto smiled and chuckled.

"Great, inflate his ego why don't you." I remarked.

Kabuto smiled. "You were great too Kristin, that Water-style move was pretty impressive."

I gasped, "Oh why, thanks Kabuto." I giggled. "Well, see ya inside."

Kabuto and his team went through their door and we went through ours.

"You got the Earth Scroll Kris?" Naruto asked, his hands on the doorknobs.

I nodded, pulling it out of my ninja pouch. "Right here, now open those doors."

* * *

Naruto pushed them open and we walked inside, and I let out a sigh of relief we made it just in the knick of time.

We looked around the room and nobody was there.

"So what happens now?" Naruto asked.

I saw a board on the wall in front of us, "Look up there." I pointed out. "'If qualities of Heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher." I read the first portion. "'If Earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body and prepare to attack." I read on. "When Heaven and Earth are opened together, this perilous path will become righteous forever. This, something, is the secret way which guides us from this place today."

"This what?" Naruto asked. "Or is that a riddle too?"

"It's like there's a word missing." I pointed out.

"But the riddle is clearly about the scrolls." Sakura added. "So now, I think we're supposed to open them."

Sakura took the Heaven Scroll from Naruto and I held the Earth Scroll, and we stood by each other, holding them.

We cast a glance at each other and nodded, slowly picking open the seal on the scrolls.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Naruto: **I can't believe it! What are all of these guys doing here?

**Sakura: **It looks like everyone's here.

**Naruto: **Yeah Hinata, Kiba, and Shino.

**Sakura: **Lee and his squad.

**Kristin: **Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino. And hey, even Orchi, Ichiro, and Sakkou. Wow, all the Rookies made it!

**Sasuke: **Also those guys from the Sound and Sand.

**Naruto**: Oh well, that's just more ass for me to kick to make it to the top! Because I will be Hokage someday!

**Kristin: **Next time: **Surviving the Cut: The Rookies Reunited! **


	35. The Rookies Reunited!

**Surviving the Cut: The Rookies Reunited!**

* * *

" 'If qualities of Heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher. If Earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body and prepare to attack. When Heaven and Earth are opened together, this perilous path will become righteous forever. This, something, is the secret way which guides us from this place today.'"

"This what?" Naruto asked. "Or is that a riddle too?"

"It's like there's a word missing." I pointed out.

"But the riddle is clearly about the scrolls." Sakura added. "So now, I think we're supposed to open and read them."

Sakura took the Heaven Scroll from Naruto and I held the Earth Scroll, and we stood by each other, holding them.

We cast a glance at each other and nodded, slowly picking open the seal on the scrolls.

When we did open them, Sakura and I gasped, there was only one thing, and it looked like a semi-stick drawing of a person.

"What the hell?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

"A man? A person?" Sakura questioned.

Then, the kanji started to rise, and Sasuke gasped. "Oh no, this is a summoning jutsu." he said. "Girls quick, get rid of the scrolls!"

Sakura and I looked at each other and tossed the scrolls away from us. They landed over each other, and in a loud explosion and puff of smoke, someone appeared in front of us.

* * *

And that person was our old Academy teacher, Iruka-sensei.

"Hey there." he greeted. "Long time, no see huh?"

"Iruka-sensei?" Sakura questioned.

"Looks like you four have gone through a lot, during this test." he noted.

"What's going on sensei? Why are you appearing with the summoning?" Naruto asked.

"At the end of the second exam, we Chūnin are supposed to welcome the test-taking Genin back." Iruka-sensei answered. "And it was sheer coincidence I was selected to be the messenger for you guys."

"Our messenger?" I asked, blinking.

Iruka-sensei pulled a watch out of his pocket and checked the time. "And you made it just in time too." he said. "Congratulations Squad Seven, you've passed the second phase of the Chūnin Selection Examinations."

We all gasped, then sighed in relief.

"To celebrate your passing, I would love to treat you four to some Ichiraku Ramen…" Iruka-sensei began to say, but he was cut off by Naruto's screams of joy.

The rest of us just collapsed on the ground, taking a breath.

"Where does he get all of his energy?" Sasuke asked.

"Who knows." Sakura added.

"Ditto." I nodded and sighed. "Shut up Naruto!" I barked.

"I can see you're still as hyperactive as ever, Naruto." Iruka-sensei said.

Sasuke smiled to himself. "I think I understand." he muttered. "So if we would've looked at the scrolls during the middle of the exam, what would you have done to us Iruka-sensei?" Sasuke asked.

Our former teacher sighed, "As usual Sasuke, you're as sharp as a tack." he said, picking up the scrolls and showing them to us. "You've figured it out that part of this exam was to test how you would see a difficult mission all the way through." he informed us. "To put it simply, you knew that opening the scrolls was against the rules of your mission, and if you had tried to open one…"

"What would've happened?" Sakura asked.

Iruka-sensei smirked. "If one of the scrolls was opened, we were instructed to knock out whoever opened them. Some of the ninja found that out the hard way."

"It's a good thing you guys didn't open up yours, right?" Kovu asked, looking at Naruto, Sakura, and myself.

We all gasped and chuckled lightly.

"I owe ya one, thanks a million Kabuto." Naruto chuckled lightly.

Sakura and I wiped our foreheads, sighing.

I looked up once more at the board, "Oh yeah, sensei, what does that writing on the wall mean?" I asked, pointing to the Heaven and Earth riddle. "The parchment is kinda eaten away and we can't understand it."

"Oh who cares." Naruto huffed. "We passed and that's the only thing that matters."

Sakura punched Naruto in the head, "Can it and let Iruka-sensei explain it."

Iruka-sensei chuckled. "Actually, explaining that riddle is another one of my duties." he answered. "They're instructions Lord Hokage recorded as principles that Chūnin should follow."

"Instructions?" Naruto repeated.

"That's right." said Iruka-sensei. "Heaven stands for your mind and Earth for your body. 'If qualities of Heaven are what you desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher', get it?" Naruto shook his head, "Alright then, I'll explain. If your weakness lies in your intellect, Naruto, then you need to make doubly sure you acquire all the wisdom you need to be successful on your missions."

Sakura giggled at Naruto being singled out.

"And you," Iruka-sensei said, turning to Sakura. "If it's Earthly qualities you lack, then train your body and prepare to attack. So if your weakness lies in your physical strength, Sakura, then you need to work your physical conditioning every day so it improves."

Sakura chuckled lightly and stuck her tongue out.

"When Heaven and Earth are opened together, the perilous path will become righteous forever." Iruka-sensei went on. "Meaning when your mind and body are working as one, then even the most dangerous mission will become an easy one."

"But what about that spot with the missing letter?" I asked.

"Well that part is for you four to fill in." Iruka-sensei answered. "The symbol on the scroll was the character for person, a reference to you Chūnin to be." he added, holding up the scrolls. "These five days of survival were to test you, and I must say, you four did magnificently. "You see, Chūnin are leaders, guides. A Chūnin's duty is to know the strengths and weakness of those serving under him. To teach that person the skills they need to be successful on future missions. And I must say, you guys did excellent on this mission, and I want you to remember these instructions so you can be successful on your next one." Iruka-sensei smiled at us. "That's it, that's all I was supposed to say to you."

The four of us smiled at one another, Naruto's smile was the biggest one of all. Kovu put his hands on my shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze.

"One more thing, for this third exam, don't push yourselves." Iruka-sensei added, with a worried look on his face. He looked at Naruto, "Especially you, Naruto I worry-"

"Iruka-sensei," Naruto cut in. "when I got this headband I stopped being a student, you don't need to worry about me anymore. I'm a full fledged ninja now, and nothing's gonna stop me from passing this next exam."

Iruka-sensei smiled, as did the rest of us. He then noticed my brother standing behind me. "Kovu?" he questioned. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

My brother looked up and nodded, "Yes it has, sensei."

"Well then," Iruka-sensei cleared his throat, "since the third exam is about to start, why don't you come with me while Squad Seven heads to the main room."

Kovu nodded. "Yeah, of course." he picked up his bag and gulped, "Uh sensei? Is my…father here by any chance?"

"Yes he is." Iruka-sensei answered, making us all gasp. "All of the Jōnin Sensei of the passing squads are here. They're waiting in the main room."

Kovu patted my shoulder and kissed the side of my head, "See ya sis."

"Yeah." I waved goodbye and Kovu and Iruka-sensei disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

We made or way to the main room where seven other teams waiting for us. _"Wow, this many made it pass the second exam?" _I thought, looking around.

My team lined up in between Squad Eight and Squad Nine.

"Psst, Kris." I heard someone whisper.

I looked to my right and saw Orchi wave at me, her pet snake, Rin, around her neck. Orchi's hair hung loose around her face and some locks fell over her shoulders. She had dirt stains on her green kimono top and a tear in her black skirt. In front of her, Ichiro stood and had a couple of scars on his jaw and shoulders. His lavender T-shirt had a tear on the hem. At the rear of the line, Sakoku had a bandage around his wrist up to his elbow, and a faint bruise around his eye.

I waved and smiled back at Orchi, happy to see she was alright. Squad Eight looked relatively fine, just a few minor dirt and grass stains. Kiba's ninja hound, Akamaru, was hiding in Kiba's jacket, almost shaking.

On the other side of them, stood Squad Ten, and they looked better then we did. Dirt stains covered their clothes, and Choji had a few scrapes on his body, no doubt from when they stepped in to save us.

Shikamaru turned his head and his eyes met mine. He nodded slightly and smiled. I smiled back and turned to look around some more, to see who else made it.

On top of the four Leaf Rookie squads and Kabuto's team, Rock Lee's team had made it, as did the Sound team, and the three siblings from the Sand village, that we had met prior to the start of the exams.

"_This many passed huh?" _Helena asked. _"Things just might start to get interesting."_

* * *

Anko, the proctor of the second exam, cleared her throat. "First of all, I would like to say congratulations on finishing the second exam." she started.

At the front of the room stood the Jōnin Sensei, and in front of them was Lord Third Hokage. A step down, the Chūnin messengers and proctors stood, Anko was located on the right-hand side, at the front of the line.

I looked up at the Jōnin, who were all lined up and watching us carefully. I spotted my brother, who was standing in front of Kakashi-sensei, or dad to us. From left to right the Jōnin were the Sound Jōnin, the Sand Jōnin, Kurenai-sensei, Satsuki-sensei, Guy-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, Asuma-sensei, and another Leaf Jōnin, that I could only guess was Kabuto's.

From the look of things, it seemed Guy-sensei was talking to my dad about something, and my dad seemed to completely ignore him.

Sakura glanced around, "Hey all the Leaf Village Rookies are here too." she pointed out.

I smiled, "The majority of the passing teams are Leaf Village Genin." I added, "After two grueling exams, only the best teams made it this far."

I looked around once more, eight teams total had passed the second exam, six Leaf teams, one Sand, and one Sound, yeah it looked like a pretty good turnout to me.

"_Except that Sand Genin with the red hair doesn't have a scratch on him." _Helena noted.

I looked over at the Sand team, and noticed the same thing. Garaa stood at the front of his line, his arms folded across his chest. And not only did he not have any injuries at all, but he also didn't have any dirt or grass stains on his clothes. And neither did his teammates.

I gulped, _"Yeah, he's defiantly one to watch out for." _I noted mentally.

Sasuke put his hand to his neck, "I have a bad feeling about this." he muttered.

"Alright now listen up!" Anko yelled, getting all of our attention. "Lord Hokage is going to explain the rules of the third exam to you! So you better listen carefully, maggots." she turned to the elder leader and bowed, "Lord Hokage, they're all yours."

* * *

The elder leader of our village, clad in the red and white uniform of the Hokage, stepped forward. He took a huff of his pipe and exhaled the smoke. "First before I explain what the third exam entails, I would like to first explain about the test itself." he began. "Listen closely, this is something you all must learn."

All the teams were silent at the leader of our village spoke. "I'm going to tell you all the true purpose of these exams." informed Lord Third.

"_True purpose?" _Helena repeated.

"Why do you suppose our country holds these exams in conjunction with our allies?" he asked us. "To raise our Shinobi's ability ad foster friendship between allied nations to be sure. But it's important you know the true purpose of these exams. The exam's true purpose is, so to speak…they're a representation of the battle between allied nations." Lord Hokage answered his own question, exhaling a small puff of smoke.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked TenTen, the female member of Lee's team.

"Now if you look at our history, you will see now that the countries we are allied with, were once neighboring countries, who continuously fought with each other for power." from the sounds of that, I figured Lord Hokage was going into a lecture.

And I turned out to be right.

"In order to avoid diminishing each other's military strength meaninglessly, those nations picked champions to do battle for their countries at a mutually selected location." Lord Hokage added. "That was how the Chūnin Selection Exams originally began."

"Well that's great, but why do we go through all of these exams then?" Naruto asked.

"I mean it's not we're doing this t pick Chūnin to go fight or anything, right?" added Sakoku. "We're all allies here, so there's no reason for us to pick ninja to go and fight each other."

Lord Hokage took out his pipe, "Well actually, there is no question that part of the point of these exams is to select Shinobi who are worthy of becoming Chūnin. That's just not the whole story." he answered. "These exams also give the opportunity for Shinobi to carry the pride of their nations on their backs and fight with enemy ninja for their very lives."

"The pride of their nation?" Sakura repeated.

"Many leaders and people of prominence from various countries are invited to attend these exams as guests and also possible to seek Shinobi to work for them." continued Lord Hokage. "This exam could set the course of your ninja work from here on out. And more importantly, these people will watch your battles and see your skills. Skills that each ninja and each nation is developing." he added. "If there is a gap in power between the countries the strong nations are inundated with job requests for their ninja. And conversely, the requests to countries who are deemed weak, decline. Therefore, the stronger our nations is, the stronger our position when it comes to negotiating with neighboring countries. So it's important to show how much military strength our village has."

It was all beginning to make sense, highlighting the reasons why the exam rules were almost damn near impossible, and why only the best of best ninja move on from each exam.

"Okay, but why is necessary for us to risk our lives?" Kiba spoke up.

"The Country's strength is the Village's strength, the Village's strength is the Shinobi's strength, and the true strength of the Shinobi is only shown when it's pushed it its limits, such as in a Life or Death battle." answered Lord Third. "This exam is designed to show each Shinobi's strength, and hence, the strength of its nation." he added. "It's because this exam is where you put your life on the line, that the true strength of the nation and it's Shinobi is shown."

"Then why did you use the expression 'friendship' before?" Orchi asked.

"But you all have only remembered half of what I have said." replied Lord Third. "You also mustn't have the wrong idea of the exam's actual meaning. This is a custom in which balance is preserved by fighting and dying, In the world of the Shinobi, that is friendship." he answered. "The third exam is a battle in which the pride of your nation as well as your very own dreams are at stake."

I swallowed hard. _"Well if that's not motivation, then I don't know what is." _I thought, smiling.

"_It took a week and two parts to finally make this exam interesting." _Helena grinned and licked her lips. _"We can handle anything this exam throws our way."_

"_Damn straight." _I agreed. I smiled and nodded my head, placing my right hand on my hip and standing tall.

Before the Third Hokage could explain the rules of the third exam, however, another man appeared in front of him, kneeling on his knees and bowing at the Hokage.

"Lord Hokage, before you begin, please allow me, Hayate Gekko, appointed at proctor of the third exam, to speak first." he asked.

"Very well then." answered the Third.

When the new proctor turned around, I noticed he had short, brown hair, that was mostly covered by his forehead protector, and deep lines under his eyes. Other than that, he wore the standard uniform of a Konohagakure ninja.

"Before you all begin…there are some things I need to tell you…before the start of…the third exam." Hayate informing, coughing after a few words.

We all stared at him, in complete confusion.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Helena**: You have got to be kidding me!

**Kristin**: Now we have to go through a Preliminary round? Give us a break here.

**Sakura**: And what about Sasuke? I know I'm not the only one who notices something wrong with him.

**Kristin**: No kidding.

**Helena**: Like I keep saying, it's that Curse Seal of Heaven on his neck.

**Sakura**: I wish he would drop out, he's in no condition to fight.

**Kristin**: I don't care what he says, I'm gonna tell the teachers about that mark.

**Helena**: Next time: **Narrowing the Field: Sudden Death Elimination!**

**Sakura**: I'm scared of what might happen, to all of us.


	36. Sudden Death Elimination!

**Narrowing the Field: Sudden Death Elimination!**

* * *

"This is a custom in which balance is preserved by fighting and dying, In the world of the Shinobi, that is friendship." said the Third Hokage. "The third exam is a battle in which the pride of your nation as well as your very own dreams are at stake."

I swallowed hard. _"Well if that's not motivation, then I don't know what is." _I thought, smiling.

"_It took a week and two parts to finally make this exam interesting." _Helena grinned and licked her lips. _"We can handle anything this exam throws our way."_

"_Damn straight." _I agreed. I smiled and nodded my head, placing my right hand on my hip and standing tall.

Before the Third Hokage could explain the rules of the third exam, however, another man appeared in front of him, kneeling on his knees and bowing at the Hokage.

"Lord Hokage, before you begin, please allow me, Hayate Gekko, appointed at proctor of the third exam, to speak first." he asked.

"Very well then." answered the Third.

When the new proctor turned around, I noticed he had short, brown hair, that was mostly covered by his forehead protector, and deep lines under his eyes. Other than that, he wore the standard uniform of a Konohagakure ninja.

"Before you all begin…there are some things I need to tell you…before the start of…the third exam." Hayate informing, coughing in between phrases.

We all stared at him, in complete confusion.

* * *

"Uh, we have to hold a preliminary exam before we can move on to the real one." Hayate announced.

"A what?" Sakura asked weakly.

"Preliminary?" Shikamaru repeated, "Just what do you mean by that?"

"I'm sorry, sensei excuse me." I spoke up. "But what's this preliminary all about? Why can't we just move on to the third exam?" I asked, stepping to the side.

Hayate's answer was blunt, "We didn't think this many candidates would pass the second exam. A preliminary can be held at any stage, in order to reduce the number of candidates remaining."

"But, is that even fair?" Orchi asked.

"It's just at this stage we need to speed things up a bit." Hayate answered. "Like Lord Hokage said, a lot of people will be watching and we can't afford to waist their time." he added, coughing. "So if any of you feel like you're not in top physical condition, now's the time to bow out. The Preliminaries will be starting immediately."

"You mean right now?" Ichiro yelled.

"We just got through barely surviving the last exam, don't we get a break?" Ino whimpered.

"Man, what a drag." Shikamaru groaned.

I swallowed hard, trying to maintain my composure.

"Oh yeah, the winners will be determined by one-on-one matches, sudden death." Hayate added.

I clenched my hands into fists, then I saw Sasuke flinch and grab his neck.

"Sasuke?" Sakura whispered.

She and I both looked at him, worriedly.

"_It's the Curse Mark, that's what's bothering him." _Helena noted.

I gulped.

"Sasuke, listen to me, you have got to quit." Sakura told him, making the three of us gasp. "You've been like this ever since you tangled with Orochimaru, and it's getting worse." she added, her voice in a hushed whisper. "It's that mark he put on you, isn't it?"

I gasped, so she was catching on too.

"_Sakura does have a point." _Helena agreed. _"And it's gonna get a whole lot worse before it starts getting better."_

I gulped, remembering when Orochimaru first put that mark on Sasuke, and what it turned him into.

* * *

{Flashback}

"Oh I assure you, he and I will meet again." Orochimaru chuckled, forming a hand sign that was unfamiliar to me. Then, his neck became like rubber and he latched his fangs right into Sasuke's neck.

Sakura and I gasped in unison, "Sasuke!"

Orochimaru pulled away, smiling and licking his lips. I looked at Sasuke's neck and right above the two fang marks, appeared three black tomoe in a circle.

"_The Cursed Seal of Heaven." _Helena gasped, her spirit backing away into my subconscious mind.

* * *

Helena gulped._ "Something's here. Something…Evil" _she whimpered again.

And suddenly, I felt was she was feeling. A dark, ominous presence was close, and it sent shivers down my spine. I gulped, tasting nothing but copper and iron.

"_Where is this chakra coming from?"_ I asked.

Helena whimpered. _"You don't want to know." _she said. _"Don't turn around."_

Now that answer made me want to know even more, then I remembered. The mark on Sasuke's neck. I turned my head and saw dark purple streams surrounding his body. _"I only thought Helena's chakra was that color." _I thought, remembering some of my earlier dreams about the demon wolf. Soon, Sasuke's body was engulfed in the dark purple chakra.

"_This is not good." _Helena gulped.

Sasuke slowly rose to his feet, the purple chakra swirling around him like a vortex. I gasped because he seemed…no looked different. Half of his body was covered in small, flame-like marks.

"_The Cursed Seal of Heaven." _Helena whimpered. She receded into my subconscious, curling up into a ball, whimpering and shivering, eyes shut as tightly as she could get them.

"Sasuke?" I questioned. My demon seal pulsated, causing me great pain as I coughed again, blood pouring my mouth and wound.

"I am an avenger." Sasuke went on. "To follow my path I must have power. Even if means giving my body to evil."

I gasped. _"He would go that far just to kill him?" _I thought. _"What does this mean for the rest of us?"_

I had the sudden feeling that my life would never be same after these exams, and I made it a priority to talk to my father about this, and hoped there was something he could do about the Cursed Seal of Heaven.

"Now one of you girls tell me." Sasuke said, to both Sakura and I. "Which one of these people did this to you?"

Zaku smirked. "That would be me." he said, sounding almost happy that he beat Sakura and I about a few inches from our lives.

Sasuke's eyes darted to where Zaku stood. He faced him, anger in his Sharingan eyes.

"Kris, what the hell is goin on?" Shikamaru asked, kneeling in front of me.

I gripped the collar of his mesh t-shirt with my free hand, trying not to collapse. "A piece of advice, one friend to another…" I coughed. "Get the hell outta here. You, Choji, and Ino, go…" I lowered my head so I wouldn't cough blood on Shikamaru.

Shikamaru placed his hand on my shoulder, rubbing it. He then moved it under my chin, lifting my face to meet his. "We won't be far, okay?" he said, wiping the blood from my mouth.

I looked up at Sasuke, who's face was contorted in anger. The black marks on the left side of his face extended to the right, covering his face entirely, making him look even more…evil. As the marks extended, his chakra grew, as such the nature of a seal.

I gulped, terrified at the sight I was witnessing.

Zaku cracked a smirk, placing his palms together. "Dosu!" Zaku called. "What's wrong? Not getting cold feet are ya?"

Despite Dosu's pleas, Zaku aimed his 'Supersonic Slicing Wave' right at us. Everything happened in a swift motion. First, Sakura and I were in front of the tree, with Sasuke standing in between us. The next thing, all four of us were moved out of the wave's reach. The seal was defiantly doing its job. Not only did it increase Sasuke's chakra, but it also increased his speed and strength. How else did he manage to move me and Sakura, and an unconscious Naruto, to safety. He moved us behind Zaku, without him even realizing it.

"Ha, I blew them away." Zaku gloated.

"Nice try." Sasuke rebuked, backhanding Zaku, sending him skidding to Dosu's feet. Both sound ninja were amazed at Sasuke's newly acquired speed.

Sasuke's speed was so much faster, I couldn't follow. He executed the 'Phoenix Flower Jutsu' hiding shuriken in the flames, which Zaku fell victim to. Then, in a blink of an eye, Sasuke was behind Zaku, holding his arms behind him, his foot on his back. His lips curled back in a devilish smile.

{End Flashbacks}

* * *

Sakura clasped her hands over her chest, and tears welled in her green eyes. "Please Sasuke, quite now before…"she sniffled. "I don't know what, I'm scared." she wiped the tears from her eyes, holding back her worry.

"Sakura." I muttered.

My teammate wrapped her arm around my neck and cried into my shoulder. I moved my arm and patted her head, soothing her.

"_She really, truly cares for him." _I thought. _"Even though all those years in the Academy, he ignored her, she still tries." _I closed my eyes and let her cry. _"Maybe she's not kidding when she says she's in love with Sasuke." _I smiled, weakly. _"Could this be what love really is? And will I, one day, find out for myself first hand?"_

"Please Sasuke, you know as well as the both of us that you're in no condition to be fighting right now." I admitted, closing my eyes, avoiding Sasuke.

"Shut up, both of you." Sasuke spat.

I looked at him, "You think we're blind? Or stupid?" I scoffed. "Don't you know that we can see the suffering you're going through?"

I felt tears well in my eyes as well. "I, of all people, know what marks like that do to a person." I covered my hip with my free hand, "And I can see that mark is doing the same thing to you as mine did to me." I kept holding my tears back, after all, we couldn't have two emotional Kunoichi break down in this arena.

"That's enough, now drop it." Sasuke gritted his teeth and glared at me.

I tightened my grip on Sakura, who was gaining control over her emotions. "I'm sorry but I can't let you do this to yourself. I know the pain of being consumed by that power, and the burning sensation of the marks, I wouldn't wish that pain on my worst enemy, let alone my best friend." I clenched my left hand into a fist, trying to keep calm. I closed my eyes, "I'm going to tell the Hokage, and then maybe you'll understand…"

I went to raise my hand, when someone else did, and everyone gasped.

* * *

I dropped my and turned to see who was withdrawing…it was Kabuto.

"You got me, I'm out." he said, almost smiling.

I could tell from the look in Naruto's eyes, he was disappointed, and upset. After his name was recorded, Kabuto moved to exit the arena.

"So that's it, you're just gonna quit?" Naruto asked, as Kabuto passed us.

"Oh Naruto, I'm sorry." Kabuto apologized. "I can't hack it, my body's just too beat up. And to have to fight again, right away, I can't."

He put on a smile and waved goodbye, and my team and I watched as the ninja that helped us pass the second exam, walked out before the third.

"So now, does anyone else, wanna quit?" Hayate asked.

I gasped, _"I have no choice, I have to tell them, even if it means Sasuke hating me forever." _I thought.

* * *

I slowly began to raise my hand, when Sasuke slapped it down and gripped my wrist, tightly. I flinched and looked into his deep onyx eyes.

"Don't you even think about telling them about this mark." he barked.

I sniffled and held back the tears I felt coming. "I don't get what you're trying to prove here. You're my best friend and I care about your well being, I can't let you go on in these exams." I whimpered. "You just want me to stand here and let you tear yourself apart? No Sasuke I can't bare to watch that!" I looked down, ignoring the fact that Sasuke was gripping my wrist a bit too tightly, and it was starting to hurt.

"Then don't watch Kris, but stay out of it." Sasuke replied, "This has nothing to do with you. Either of you." his eyes shifted from me to Sakura, then back to me.

Sasuke let go of my wrist and I, instinctively, pulled it back to me and rubbed it gently. He then looked right at me, "Like I've told you before, I am an avenger." he repeated. "For me, this is far more than just an exam. Whether I become a Chūnin or not means less than nothing to me." he added, and I saw anger well in his eyes. "Am I as strong as I can be? All I want is the answer, and I can only get that by fighting the strongest…the best." Sasuke looked around at the remaining Genin in the arena, "And the best of the best, are all here."

The look in his eyes, confirmed my suspicions. I knew things were changing, I just didn't know the most drastic change had already happened. And what he said next, backed it all up. "I walk a path the rest of you can't follow."

"_So this is it then." _I thought. _"Everything's gonna be different now. I just didn't think things would change this soon."_

I wiped the tears from my eyes with my black arm warmers, and I tried to keep calm.

"Hey, what are you biting their heads off for, you ass!" Naruto yelled. "It's just because they care about ya."

"Naruto." Sasuke said, turning to face him. "You're one of the ones I wanna fight the most."

Naruto gasped, as did Sakura and I myself. The two of us looked at each other and clasped our hands together.

"Okay, we will begin the preliminary round." Hayate announced. "The round will include one on one, individual combat, at full battle intensity." he added. "Since there are twenty four of you remaining, we will hold twelve matches. So at most, only twelve of you will move on to the final rounds, if that."

I gulped.

"As for the rules of this preliminary round, there are none." Hayate went on. "The battle will end when one combatant dies or concedes defeat. Naturally, those who are loosing should concede, to avoid a fatal outcome." he added. "And as proctor, I am given a certain amount of leeway in judging the matches. I may occasionally intervene if a match seems hopeless, to save as many lives as possible." after giving each of us Genin one more glance over, Hayate directed our attention to the panel in the upper corner of the room.

"The names of each pair of opponents is chosen completely at random." Hayate informed. "Before each match, the names of each combatant will appear on the display behind me. Now let's begin."

The names of everyone appeared on the screen, half above and half below the vs. word. A buzzer sounded and the first two names were revealed.

**Ichiro Hagane vs. Sasuke Uchiha**

Sasuke smiled.

"_Of all the rotten luck, why did Sasuke have to be chosen first?" _I thought.

I looked over and saw Ichiro was smiling as well. He looked back at us and his eyes met Sasuke's. This was going to be an interesting match, no doubt, I was just worried what was going to happen if that Curse Seal acted up again.

"The first two people, please step forward." Hayate ordered.

Ichiro and Sasuke stepped forward, and faced each other. Satsuki-sensei and Kakashi-sensei glanced at each other, and Satsuki smiled.

"You have been chosen for the first match." Hayate announced. "Ichiro Hagane verses Sasuke Uchiha. Does either combatant have any complaints?"

"None here." Sasuke answered.

"No sir." Ichiro followed.

Both boys stared at each other, ready to fight.

"Okay let's begin the first match." Hayate said. "Now every one other than the two opposing candidates, clear the arena and move to the upper level."

* * *

All the other teams dispersed, the Leaf village Rookie teams and Team Guy moved to the right level, and the other teams moved to the left. Only my team and Orchi's remained.

"Ichiro, so soon?" Orchi asked, her hands clasped together.

"It's better than waiting around, that's for sure." Ichiro replied, smiling. "Besides, that just means after this I can sit back and watch the other fights, and not have to worry who I'm gonna face."

"How can you be so calm, man?" Sakoku asked, sighing.

"Genetics." Ichiro replied, sticking his tongue out.

Satsuki-sensei walked up to him, "If you go into battle with that attitude son, you'll loose." she warned.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mother." Ichiro replied.

Satsuki smile and patted Ichiro's head. She led Orchi and Sakoku to the upper right level, smiling at my dad and us along the way.

"Hey! Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled, waving at my dad as he approached us.

Kovu walked past us and stood behind Sakura. Dad whispered something to Sasuke before we left the arena floor. "Good luck." was all I caught.

"C'mon kids, let's get moving." he said, placing his hands on Sakura's and mine's shoulders, leading us off the arena.

"He's gonna be okay, right dad?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Everything's gonna be fine, you'll see." Dad smiled down at me.

* * *

I walked up the stairs with the rest of my team and we found our spot to stand, in between Guy-sensei and his team, and Team Nine, Satsuki's team.

Team Eight was on the far left of us and Team Ten was on the far right. And to the right of them was another team, one that I didn't recognize as candidates. All four were girls, and as I looked closer I realized it was Konoha-sensei and her three students, who were Chūnin now, even though they were the same ages as us Rookies, they just graduated a few years before and took the Chūnin exams earlier than the rest of us.

One of her girls, Arée Namikaze, had medium length blonde hair with pink highlights, crystal blue eyes, and she wore a dark purple kimono with black trim and a navy blue headband over her hair. Arée stood on the end, in front of Konoha-sensei.

Next to Arée was Blood Rose, or just Rose Kranes. She had long, white hair pulled back in a ponytail, her eyes were the color of red dirt and she had two, small crimson lines running from the bottom of her eyes to the center of her cheeks. Rose wore a lavender scarf with a purple lightning pattern, a purple tank top and matching skirt, and her headband at an angle around her waist. She stood in the middle of her teammates.

And the final member was a second or third cousin of Sasuke's, Shirayuki Uchiha. Shira, for short, was a kind and gentle girl. She had pale white skin, hazel-green eyes, short charcoal black hair, and wore a brown coat with a green trim on the sleeves and bottom, black pants and her headband around her neck.

And lastly, Konoha-sensei herself. She was around the same age as my dad, and was a real pretty woman. She had long, blue-black hair, deep brown eyes, tan skin, and wore a short, white above-knee length dress with a long blue sleeve covering her right arm and bandages around her hands, up halfway to the elbow, and on her thighs.

* * *

I turned my attention back to the arena as the match was ready to start. And it got off to a quick start as both boys threw shuriken at each other.

"Not so fast." Ichiro smiled.

He charged forward and began throwing punches at Sasuke, who flinched when he dodged. But Sasuke managed to break Ichiro's foothold, and brought them both to the ground.

Ichiro smiled and put his left index and middle fingers to his chin, closing his eyes. Then, he began to sink into the ground.

"What the hell?" Sasuke grunted.

Ichiro came back up, standing with his hands clasped together, forming the 'Mi/Snake' sign, one that's woven more in Earth Style than any other nature.

"Earth Style: Mud Ropes." Ichiro shouted, and strings of wet earth wrapped themselves around Sasuke, restricting his upper body and arms.

Sasuke glared at Ichiro as he hovered over him, gripping the fabric of his blue shirt.

Orchi and I exchanged looks from where we stood.

Satsuki chuckled. "Well now Kakashi, I guess we'll get to see whose boy's the stronger fighter, out of our teams anyway."

Dad looked at her, "Appears so, Satsuki."

I glued my eyes to the arena, praying to anyone who listens, that the Curse Seal of Heaven won't win this match for Sasuke, and that I don't loose my best friend and teammate forever.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Helena**: With that Curse Seal on him, Sasuke's at a major disadvantage.

**Kristin**: It's like he can't even defend himself against Ichiro's earth techniques.

**Helena**: He could win, if the Curse doesn't kill him first.

**Kristin**: Just whose side are you even on?

**Helena**: *giggles* Next time: **Ichiro vs. Sasuke: Lion's Barrage Unleashed!**


	37. Ichiro vs Sasuke

**Ichiro vs. Sasuke: Lion's Barrage Unleashed!**

* * *

I gasped, _"I have no choice, I have to tell them, even if it means Sasuke hating me forever." _I thought.

I slowly began to raise my hand, when Sasuke slapped it down and gripped my wrist, tightly. I flinched and looked into his deep onyx eyes.

"Don't you even think about telling them about this mark." he barked.

I sniffled and held back the tears I felt coming. "I don't get what you're trying to prove here. You're my best friend and I care about your well being, I can't let you go on in these exams." I whimpered. "You just want me to stand here and let you tear yourself apart? No Sasuke I can't bare to watch that!" I looked down, ignoring the fact that Sasuke was gripping my wrist a bit too tightly, and it was starting to hurt.

"Then don't watch Kris, but stay out of it." Sasuke replied, "This has nothing to do with you."

"As for the rules of this preliminary round, there are none." Hayate went on. "The battle will end when one combatant dies or concedes defeat. Naturally, those who are loosing should concede, to avoid a fatal outcome." he added. "And as proctor, I am given a certain amount of leeway in judging the matches. I may occasionally intervene if a match seems hopeless, to save as many lives as possible." after giving each of us Genin one more glance over, Hayate directed our attention to the panel in the upper corner of the room.

"The names of each pair of opponents is chosen completely at random." Hayate informed. "Before each match, the names of each combatant will appear on the display behind me. Now let's begin."

The names of everyone appeared on the screen, half above and half below the vs. word. A buzzer sounded and the first two names were revealed.

**Ichiro Hagane vs. Sasuke Uchiha**

Sasuke smiled.

"_Of all the rotten luck, why did Sasuke have to be chosen first?" _I thought.

I looked over and saw Ichiro was smiling as well. He looked back at us and his eyes met Sasuke's. This was going to be an interesting match, no doubt, I was just worried what was going to happen if that Curse Seal acted up again.

"The first two people, please step forward." Hayate ordered.

Ichiro and Sasuke stepped forward, and faced each other. Satsuki-sensei and Kakashi-sensei glanced at each other, and Satsuki smiled.

"You have been chosen for the first match." Hayate announced. "Ichiro Hagane verses Sasuke Uchiha. Does either combatant have any complaints?"

"None here." Sasuke answered.

"No sir." Ichiro followed.

Both boys stared at each other, ready to fight.

"Okay let's begin the first match." Hayate said.

I walked up the stairs with the rest of my team and we found our spot to stand, in between Guy-sensei and his team, and Team Nine, Satsuki's team.

Team Eight was on the far left of us and Team Ten was on the far right. Next to them was Team Konoha.

I turned my attention to the arena as the match was ready to start. And it got off to a quick start as both boys threw shuriken at each other.

"Not so fast." Ichiro smiled.

He charged forward and began throwing punches at Sasuke, who flinched when he dodged. But Sasuke managed to break Ichiro's foothold, and brought them both to the ground.

Ichiro smiled and put his left index and middle fingers to his chin, closing his eyes. Then, he began to sink into the ground.

"What the hell?" Sasuke grunted.

Ichiro came back up, standing with his hands clasped together, forming the 'Mi/Snake' sign, one that's woven more in Earth Style than any other nature.

"Earth Style: Mud Ropes." Ichiro shouted, and strings of wet earth wrapped themselves around Sasuke, restricting his upper body and arms.

Sasuke glared at Ichiro as he hovered over him, gripping the fabric of his blue shirt.

Orchi and I exchanged looks from where we stood.

Satsuki chuckled. "Well now Kakashi, I guess we'll get to see whose boy's the stronger fighter, out of our teams anyway."

Dad looked at her, "Appears so, Satsuki."

I glued my eyes to the arena, praying to anyone who listens, that the Curse Seal of Heaven won't win this match for Sasuke, and that I don't loose my best friend and teammate forever.

* * *

Ichiro released his hold on Sasuke, but still kept him pinned down, "Now, for the fun part." he smirked, doing a small sequence, Snake-Rat-Bird-Ram, "Earth Style: Snake Bind."

The topes of mud soon turned to snakes, live snakes. Ones that hissed and swayed.

* * *

"What's going on?" I asked, looking at Orchi.

"It's a jutsu our mother taught us." she replied, looking at Satsuki. "Ones to use to bind our enemy, and crush them."

"Crush?" Sakura repeated, looking at the arena floor with worry.

* * *

The snakes constricted their bodies and hissed, and another, larger one, emerged from the ground and wrapped itself around Sasuke's midsection, restricting him further, causing him to grunt in pain.

Ichiro smiled, "Now with this jutsu, I don't have to do much of anything, just stand back and let my snakes do all the work."

* * *

"Sasuke!" Sakura yelled.

I glanced across the arena and saw that the Sound Jōnin was watching the battle closely, almost smiling at Ichiro's use of his jutsu.

* * *

Ichiro kept his hands together in the sign for 'Ram', feeding the jutsu with his own chakra.

Sasuke clenched his fist and kicked Ichiro in the stomach, breaking the jutsu. He jumped to his feet, panting and rubbing his arms. Ichiro charged in for another hit, and Sasuke barely dodged it.

* * *

"C'mon Sasuke." I whispered, gripping the railing.

Naruto gripping the railing, more in frustration then worry. "Hey Sasuke!" he yelled. "C'mon man, what the hell was that? And you call yourself an Uchiha?"

Sasuke looked back at our loudmouthed teammate.

"C'mon man, you keep fighting like that and this goon's gonna walk all over you!" Naruto taunted, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Man, he's got a mouth on him." Sakoku said, putting his hand to his ear.

"Where the hell have you been since the start of the exams?" Orchi asked her teammate. "He's always had a mouth, remember he painted a big, bull's-eye on us Rookies since his outburst during the first exam." she reminded.

I chuckled at the memory.

* * *

{Flashback}

Naruto spun around and pointed a finger at the other shinobi. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki! And I'm gonna beat every single one of ya!"

"_Great paint thirteen targets on our backs you jackass!" _Helena growled.

"_If I die, I'm haunting his ass for the rest of eternity." _I groaned.

"Can you say that a little louder?" Kiba asked sarcastically. "I didn't quite catch that."

"You moron, are you trying to get everyone in this place to hate our guts or what?" Shikamaru asked.

"Naruto! You jackass! Why did you have to go and say something like that!" Sakura scolded, holding Naruto in a chokehold.

{End Flashback}

* * *

Ichiro was beginning to loose his cool, "Okay, try this one on for size." he smirked, biting the underside of right his thumb, drawing blood. He did a small sequence of hand signs, Boar-Dog-Bird-Monkey-Ram.

"Summoning Jutsu." Ichiro yelled, slamming his hands down on the stone floor of the arena.

In a puff of smoke, a medium sized, purple Boa with black rings on his body and two horns coming from his head appeared, hissing.

"You summoned me, Ichiro?" he asked, turning his head to look at the aforementioned Rookie.

"Papuru, I require a little more assistance than I originally thought." Ichiro informed, "Would you be so kind as to help? I'll make it worth your while."

* * *

"Is he bribing the snake?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It had to be that one? But he' so, moody." Sakoku sighed.

"Kakashi-sensei, is that even fair?" Naruto asked. "I mean, he brought in something else, that's got to be against the rules, right?"

"Not really, it's part of Ichiro's jutsu, so it's within the rules." dad answered.

"But what can a stupid snake do anyway?" Naruto asked.

Satsuki giggled, "More than you think Naruto." she answered. "More than you know."

* * *

We all put our attention back on the fight. The Boa slithered around the arena, as Ichiro charged forward.

"_C'mon Sasuke." _I thought.

Sasuke dodged Ichiro's advancements and managed to avoid Papuru's attacks as well. He looked back at us, and gasped, maybe getting an idea, I don't know.

Just as Ichiro was going in for another punch, Sasuke dodged and was suddenly underneath him, kicking him in the jaw.

* * *

"Ichiro!" Orchi and Satsuki screamed in unison.

"_I know that move." _I thought.

Helena giggled, _"You should, Lee used that same move on Sasuke."_

I then remembered.

* * *

{Flashback}

"You see Sasuke, I believe there are two types of ninja; those like you, born with talent who don't have to work at it, and those like me, who must train hard every day of our lives." Lee said. "In reality, your Sharingan is the worst match, for my extreme taijutsu." Lee prepared another kick and it connected, tossing Sasuke up into the air.

Next he performed the technique known as the 'Dancing Leaf Shadow' a taijutsu technique known only to the Hidden Leaf village. The bandages from Lee's arms began to unwind only a little, enough to tie around his opponent.

{End Flashback}

* * *

"I'll admit, I borrowed that move." Sasuke said, as he hovered behind Ichiro in mid air. "But from here on out, it's all original."

But suddenly, Sasuke's body froze, and I saw the Curse Mark glow and try to spread over his body.

"_No please, don't let it take over." _I whimpered.

Then the look n Sasuke's eyes changed, and the marks began to recede, and the glow died down.

"You really think a cheap trick like the 'Dancing Leaf Shadow' is gonna be enough to beat me, Sasuke?" Ichiro asked. He smirked and extended his arm, and Papuru jumped and wrapped himself around Ichiro's right arm, hissing.

Sasuke punched the snake in the head, damaging it a little. Then he swung his leg and kicked Ichiro in the stomach, sending him flying downward towards the ground.

"Wow, incredible." I chuckled.

Sasuke slammed his foot down on Ichiro once more, "Lion's Barrage!" he yelled, as Ichiro slammed into the ground.

With a soft grunt, the purple Boa vanished, and Ichiro lay unconscious, blood trickling from his mouth and arm.

Sasuke landed on his stomach, grunting. Both boys laid motionless. Sasuke coughed and slowly got up, kneeling for the time being.

"I'm declaring this match over." Hayate announced. "As the winner of this first match in the Preliminary Round, Sasuke Uchiha advances to the finals."

* * *

"Yes! Alright!" Sakura, Naruto, and I cheered. "Way to go Sasuke!"

"He was overconfident and that's what led to this outcome." Satsuki muttered.

"He's gonna be okay, right Satsuki-sensei?" Sakoku asked.

The honey-brunette Jōnin smiled, "Yeah, once he sleeps it off, he'll be fine." she leaned up off the wall. "I'm gonna go see how he's doing. As his mother, and teacher." Satsuki smiled and vanished, reappearing down on the arena floor, next to Ichiro's unconscious body.

Sasuke was about to fall backwards, when Dad appeared and held him upright with his knee.

"Hey Sasuke!" Naruto called, "You won but in such an un-cool way. You came out looking like you're the one who got beat up." he chuckled.

"Idiot." Sasuke breathed. "Give me a break you little-whatever." he sighed.

I could tell Sasuke was feeling the aftershocks from that last move. He was breathing hard, and struggling to keep up.

"_Awesome job Sasuke." _I thought. I cast a glance to the right and saw Choji and Shikamaru, the latter friend was leaning against the wall. Both did seem kinda shocked at how the battle ended, but really, we couldn't expect anything less from our Sasuke.

* * *

Ichiro was lifted onto a stretcher and carried out of the arena and Satsuki stood there and watched, a look of proudness in her eyes.

"You're out of your league with this one." Kakashi-sensei said to the medical ninja. "I'll take care of him."

He then whispered something to Sasuke, and the two proceeded to leave the arena.

* * *

"_Sasuke." _I sighed. A faint image of those black, flame-like marks covering his body came to mind, and I shook the image out of my head.

"Hey girls." Naruto said, looking at us. "Maybe I'm crazy but did either of you see any weird marks on Sasuke's neck during the fight?"

Sakura and I gasped, glancing at each other.

"What mark?" Sakura asked, playing dumb. "I didn't see anything."

"Neither did I." I lied. "Maybe you are going crazy Naruto." I chuckled lightly.

* * *

The screen clicked on and the names began cycling through, choosing the next two competitors. After a few seconds, the next pair was decided.

**Shino Aburame vs. Zaku Abumi**

The two ninja took the floor, it was a match of the Sound vs. the Leaf, and the second Rookie Genin of our village to take part in the Preliminary rounds.

I recognized Zaku as the one who had his arms broken by Sasuke. Those arms were now in a makeshift sling, but despite that, Zaku looked like he was ready for the fight.

Shino on the other hand, was cool and calm, and I don't know if I should be worried or scared. I never really knew Shino that well, I don't know anything about his techniques or his ninja arts. All I really know is that he was a quiet kid, and someone I wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley.

I looked across the arena and saw the Sound Jōnin vanish in a cloud of smoke.

"_I wonder where he's going?" _I questioned. _"Why would he leave when one of his own Genin is getting ready to fight?"_

Shino's voice snapped me away from my train of thought. "If you fight me, you won't be able to recover." he warned. "Forfeit and withdraw."

But Zaku wasn't buying into the threat. He just smirked, "Well whaddya know, I've got a little movement in one." he said, moving his left arm. "One good arm is enough to beat you!"

Zaku went in for a punch, but it was blocked by Shino, without effort.

"You couldn't beat me using both your arms." Shino said, standing perfectly still, like nothing was going on.

"_Just who is this kid?" _Helena asked.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Helena: **Man this Shino guy gives 'Creepy Crawlies' a whole new meaning.

**Kristin: **I never would've guessed quiet Shino would be capable of this. He is defiantly the last person here I would ever want to face.

**Helena: **And look, another Rookie match up.

**Kristin: **Next time: **Face to Face: The Might of the Rookies! **Well after all, we have something to prove by being here, that just 'cause we're rookies, doesn't mean we can't run with the big dogs.


	38. The Might of the Rookies!

**Face to Face: The Might of the Rookies.**

* * *

Dad whispered something to Sasuke, and the two proceeded to leave the arena.

"_Sasuke." _I sighed. A faint image of those black, flame-like marks covering his body came to mind, and I shook the image out of my head.

"Hey girls." Naruto said, looking at myself and Sakura. "Maybe I'm crazy but did either of you see any weird marks on Sasuke's neck during the fight?"

Sakura and I gasped, glancing at each other.

"What mark?" Sakura asked, playing dumb. "I didn't see anything."

"Neither did I." I lied. "Maybe you are going crazy Naruto." I chuckled lightly.

The screen clicked on and the names began cycling through, choosing the next two competitors. After a few seconds, the next pair was decided.

**Shino Aburame vs. Zaku Abumi**

The two ninja took the floor, it was a match of the Sound vs. the Leaf, and the second Rookie Genin of our village to take part in the Preliminary rounds.

I recognized Zaku as the one who had his arms broken by Sasuke. Those arms were now in a makeshift sling, but despite that, Zaku looked like he was ready for the fight.

Shino on the other hand, was cool and calm, and I don't know if I should be worried or scared. I never really knew Shino that well, I don't know anything about his techniques or his ninja arts. All I really know is that he was a quiet kid, and someone I wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley.

I looked across the arena and saw the Sound Jōnin vanish in a cloud of smoke.

"_I wonder where he's going?" _I questioned. _"Why would he leave when one of his own Genin is getting ready to fight?"_

Shino's voice snapped me away from my train of thought. "If you fight me, you won't be able to recover." he warned. "Forfeit and withdraw."

But Zaku wasn't buying into the threat. He just smirked, "Well whaddya know, I've got a little movement in one." he said, moving his left arm. "One good arm is enough to beat you!"

Zaku went in for a punch, but it was blocked by Shino, without effort.

"You couldn't beat me using both your arms." Shino said, standing perfectly still, like nothing was going on.

"_Just who is this kid?" _Helena asked.

* * *

Zaku unleashed his sound wave attack, blasting an air stream right near Shino's head, causing him to recoil back, and create a smoke cloud.

"_What the hell?" _Helena gasped.

As the smoke cleared, Shino stood practically unfazed, only his clothes had a little bit of dirt on them. The arena was dead silent. Then, a strange sound, almost like something marching, echoed around the room.

I looked down at Shino, and saw a group of bugs crawling down his shirt, the bugs were coming from him.

"_Is Shino summoning those insects?" _I thought.

"Now that you've creeped us out, what else ya got?" Zaku scoffed.

He gasped when he realized an army of small, black beetles were creeping up on his right, and it spooked him, majorly.

* * *

I gulped, gripping the iron bars. "What the hell are those?"

"I don't know, but I think I'm gonna be sick." Sakura whimpered.

* * *

Shino held up his index finger, where one beetle sat. "They're a rare species of parasitic beetle that attack their prey in a swarm, and eating its chakra." he informed, "A swarm that size, will suck you dry in less than a minute. Your only intelligent option is to forfeit the match."

Shino did make a valid point, even though he had a creepy way of proving it. Since Zaku had only one good arm, he only had one way to defend himself, and either way, he would be attacked from the weaker side.

* * *

I gulped. _"Damn, Shino doesn't mess around."_

"_He gives 'creepy crawly' a whole new meaning." _Helena added.

* * *

Zaku glared at Shino, unsure of how he was going to go about this. While Shino just stood there, his hands forming the sign 'Hitsuji/Ram'. He kept looking back and forth between Shino and his army of chakra devouring beetles.

Both of Zaku's arms were trembling, and I was amazed they were even working, considering how brutally Sasuke had injured him.

* * *

I shivered at the memory.

{Flashback}

In a blink of an eye, Sasuke was behind Zaku, holding his arms behind him, his foot on his back. His lips curled back in a devilish smile.

"You seem to be very fond of these arms of yours." Sasuke said. "You must be very, attached to them."

I gulped. Sasuke was defiantly different. He was way more fiercer…darker.

Sasuke put more pressure on Zaku's back and pulled on his arms. Zaku was afraid for his life in that moment. Sasuke's smile widened as he pulled harder, and I heard bones breaking.

Sakura and I gasped. I shut my eyes, horrified that Sasuke would even do that. It was in that moment, I knew that the Sasuke Uchiha I've known all my life, the Sasuke I called one of my best friends growing up, was forever changed.

Zaku passed out on the ground, leaving Dosu the Sound ninja left standing.

{End Flashback}

* * *

Zaku was trembling all over and gritting his teeth.

"Never again." he grunted. "That will never happen again."

He held his left fist towards Shino, opening it up and revealing his palm. He then threw his right palm towards the insect swarm. A smirk crossed his lips.

"_This is not gonna end well for him." _Helena predicted.

For once, I was in complete agreement with her.

And it ended up being a true statement. Once Zaku tried to use his jutsu, nothing happened. Apparently, while Shino was explaining everything, he had some of insects crawl into the holes in Zaku's palms, on both hand, plugging them up.

"True, an Ace in the Hole is a good thing." Shino said. "But two Aces are even better."

In the next instant, the air stream made its way out, blowing out of the pores in the arm itself. With a single punch, Shino knocked out Zaku, thus winning the second match.

"The winner is Shino Aburame." Hayate called.

"Man, that was brutal." Sakura gasped.

"No kidding." I agreed.

"Who would've thunk it with him being so quiet, I can't wait to get my shot at him!" Naruto exclaimed, clenching his fist.

"An I thought he was weird before, but now…" Sakura added, trailing off.

"I know exactly what you mean." I told her, breathing a sigh.

The Medical Corp. came onto the floor and put Zaku, who was moaning in pain, onto a stretcher and carried him off the arena floor.

Shino walked up the stairs and rejoined his teammates.

* * *

The screen clicked on, signaling the choosing of the third pair of Genin for the next match.

"Now moving onto the third match." announced Hayate.

As we awaited the next pair, my dad suddenly reappeared behind us.

"Hi guys." he greeted.

"What do you mean 'hi guys'?" Sakura replied. "What about Sasuke? How is he?"

"He's fine, don't worry." dad answered. "Sasuke is sleeping soundly in the infirmary."

Sakura sighed in relief, as did I.

* * *

And the next pair was two leaf village Genin.

**Misumi Tsurugi vs. Sakoku Uzuki**

The two Leaf Genin stepped onto the arena floor, prepared to fight.

"Does either combatant have any objections?" Hayate asked.

"No sir." Sakoku answered.

"None here." added Misumi.

"Then let the third match, Misumi and Sakoku, begin." Hayate declared.

And the match started off with both boys breaking out in taijutsu. Sakoku landed a blow to Misumi's face, causing him to flinch in pain. With a smirk, he used the 'Mi/Snake' sign, but he was just as quickly constricted by Misumi, unable to move.

"Let go…you…" Sakoku choked out, collapsing on his knees, gasping for breath.

Misumi's body had turned to rubber and he wrapped himself around Sakoku, binding him from making any hand signs at all.

* * *

"Get him Sakoku!" Orchi cheered. "You can beat him!"

Satsuki stood by and watched, her arms folded over her chest.

"I wish I could do that." Naruto laughed.

"I don't, it looks way to weird, not to mention, freaky." I rebuked, crossing my arms.

* * *

"I dislocate every single one of my joints, then, using my chakra, I can control it perfectly." Misumi informed, tightening his grip on Sakoku. "And unless you give up, I'll break you neck."

"Go on and try." Sakoku smirked.

When Misumi went to prove his threat, he stopped. "What the hell?" he asked. He squeezed tighter, and Sakoku turned to stone and crumbled away. "A substitution?" Misumi questioned, his limbs returning to normal.

"Nope, a Stone Clone." Sakoku's voice echoed off the arena walls. The real one appeared behind Misumi, still forming the 'Snake' sign. He smiled, "One of my many techniques."

* * *

Satsuki smiled. "Nice one, use the clone to gauge the enemy's attack and fighting style." she chuckled, "Very nice work."

"You train them well, Satsuki." my dad complemented.

Satsuki-sensei smiled. "Thank you Kakashi."

I smiled and looked down at the arena.

* * *

Sakoku smirked and punched Misumi in the jaw, revealing part of his hand to be the color of stone itself. "I can make any part of my body into stone, by focusing my chakra to that area." he informed, kicking Misumi in the stomach.

Misumi countered by wrapping his arm around Sakoku's neck, tightening his grip. With one more punch to the face, Misumi was knocked into the wall, and Sakoku collapsed on the ground, his hand to his throat.

Hayate checked on Misumi first, then Sakoku. "Since neither combatant is able to move, no one moves on from this match." he declared.

Satsuki jumped to the arena floor and slung Sakoku's arm around her neck. "You did well kid, I'm proud." she whispered.

* * *

She laid him against the wall, smiling.

"Great, that puts pressure on me to make sure Squad Nine makes it to the finals." Orchi huffed.

"You'll be fine sweetie." Satsuki reassured.

"Thanks Sakoku, thanks a lot." she said, even though her teammate was unconscious.

I giggled and couldn't help but smile.

* * *

Sakura and I went to the bathroom during the short intermission break.

"Everyone seems so strong." Sakura noted, running water over her forehead.

"No joke there." I agreed, wiping the dirt off my face. I sighed, "It makes you worry about who you're gonna be paired with."

Sakura looked at me, "I'm sure you'll be fine." she reassured.

"Don't sell yourself so short." I told her. "You'll be okay."

I looked at my teammate and smiled.

* * *

We rejoined Naruto and Kakashi-sensei on the viewing isle.

"When is it gonna be my turn?" Naruto groaned.

"Relax Naruto, it's gonna be fine." I told him. "Sit back and enjoy things a little." I giggled at his facial expression, which read 'bored as hell'.

Dad put his hand on my shoulder, "This isn't the time to be laughing Kristin." he said.

"Huh?" I questioned, looking at him.

He pointed to the screen, and I gasped. The next pair chosen for the fourth match…the names read **Kristin Hatake vs. Kankurō**.

I looked across from me and saw the Suna ninja smirk. The same guy who I met before the exams started, who openly flirted with me, made me feel completely uncomfortable, was my opponent, in this next match.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Kristin**: I didn't thin I would fight this early. In fact, I was hoping I wouldn't fight this early. And to top it off, he's my opponent. Oh well, I guess I have no choice, I'm gonna have to fight him with everything I've got.

**Naruto**: Get this joker Kristin!

**Sakura**: Show him who's the top Rookie girl around here.

**Kristin**: Here goes. Next time: **Sand vs. Leaf: My Time to Shine!** Even through this pain, I have to fight…I have to win…


	39. My Time to Shine!

**Sand vs. Leaf: My Time to Shine!**

* * *

Sakura and I rejoined Naruto and Kakashi-sensei on the viewing isle.

"When is it gonna be my turn?" Naruto groaned.

"Relax Naruto, it's gonna be fine." I told him. "Sit back and enjoy things a little." I giggled at his facial expression, which read 'bored as hell'.

Dad put his hand on my shoulder, "This isn't the time to be laughing Kristin." he said.

"Huh?" I questioned, looking at him.

He pointed to the screen, and I gasped. The next pair chosen for the fourth match…the names read…

**Kristin Hatake vs. Kankurō**.

I looked across from me and saw the Suna ninja smirk. The same guy who I met before the exams started, who openly flirted with me, made me feel completely uncomfortable, was my opponent, in this next match.

* * *

"Kristin, you okay?" Sakura asked me.

"Never better." I answered, moving to the right.

Kankurō's eyes met mine and a grin came across his painted face. He slowly made his way to the arena floor, keeping his eyes on me.

I met his gaze until he came to the stairs, then I made myself look away.

A strong hand gripped my shoulder and I turned to see Shikamaru standing next to me, Choji behind him.

"You okay?" he asked, rubbing my shoulder.

I smiled and nodded, "You kidding? I was hoping to wipe that stupid grin off his face." I smirked to myself.

"Good luck Kristin." dad told me.

I looked in his eye and felt reassurance. I smiled at my father and took a deep breath. With an exhale I flipped over the railing and stood on the edge, overlooking the arena floor. I cast a glance to my right and Choji gave me a big, ear-to-ear, smile.

"Kick his ass." he said, gripping my shoulder.

I smiled and put my hand over his, gripping it. "Thanks pal."

Choji pecked my cheek, chuckling.

I turned to my left and Shikamaru's eyes met mine. "You sure your up for this?"

I nodded, "I'm fine, no pain whatsoever." I told him, meeting his gaze. I knew he would be worried about me since that tussle with the sound ninja, and that was sweet, but I was okay.

Shikamaru placed his hand on my shoulder, still meeting my eyes. "Be careful."

I smiled and placed my hand over his, and nodded. "I will, you know how I can get."

"I do know and that's why I worry." He kissed my cheek, his lips lingering there for a few seconds.

I gave my friends a reassuring smile and jumped from the ledge, landing perfectly on the arena floor. I heard the whistles and shouts from my friends and teammates, and that made me smile.

* * *

Kankurō and I stood opposite each other in the center of the arena.

"Does either competitor have any objections?" Hayate asked, looking between us.

"None here proctor." Kankurō answered.

I took my headband from around my waist and tied it around my forehead. "No sir." I answered, glaring at Kankurō.

"Okay the fourth match between Kristin Hatake and Kankurō, begin." Hayate declared.

I lunged towards him, trying to land a punch, but he barely dodged them.

"_Something doesn't smell right." _Helena muttered.

I sniffed the air and agreed with her. I whipped out a kunai and lunged forward again, ducking under Kankurō's arm.

"You think I'm an idiot?" I asked. "I see right through your little trick."

I heard a faint "What?" and smiled, turning my kunai so the blade faced away from me. I sliced through the bandages around Kankurō's back, letting them fall to the ground.

Everyone in the arena gasped, and I spun on my heels and kicked Kankurō in the stomach, sending him skidding across the floor.

The first Kankurō I was fighting turned out to be a puppet disguised as him, but once I revealed him, the shell crumbled away.

"Okay, just because I can't hide, doesn't mean I can't take you down." Kankurō grunted, swinging his puppet around, and aiming it to tackle me.

I dodged it and back flipped a few times, "Oh please, I know you Puppet Master types, long-distance fighters." I smirked. "So if I get rid of your puppet, you're easy pickings for me."

"Go on and try sweetheart." Kankurō growled, maneuvering his puppet to attack me again.

I sent chakra to my feet to get an extra boost to jump into the air. I pulled out a red scroll with the kanji for fire on it, unsealing it. I quickly laced some wire through a few shuriken and I threw them towards Kankurō's puppet, named Crow, tangling it in the wire.

"That's firewood now." I smiled, placing the wire in between my teeth.

I tossed the red scroll into the air, while executing the signs Dragon-Boar-Horse-Tiger, "Fire Style: Salamandra Spit Flare!" I yelled, letting the, now ignited, scroll engulf the wire in flames, I spit an extra surge of chakra for more power.

The Crow puppet ignited and fell to the ground. I smirked and pulled out another 'Water Summoning Scroll', executing the signs Dragon-Ram-Ox-Rat-Boar, "Water Style: Piercing Rain!" a shower of spear-like raindrops flew from the scroll. I even threw in some of my senbon, mixing them in with the raindrops. The fire was doused in seconds, and Kankurō fell for my senbon trap.

"Damn, you're better than you look." Kankurō smirked, taking the senbon out of his shoulders and arm.

I landed in a puddle of water and smiled. "Oh, you haven't seen anything yet." I warned.

* * *

We lunged at each other, matching punch for punch and kick for kick. The water from my last attack sloshed around the floor. I could faintly pick up the comments from my friends that were watching.

"I never knew Kristin was that fast." Naruto gasped.

"I didn't know she could use techniques like that." Sakura added.

* * *

Kankurō grabbed my wrist and spun me around, twisting my arm around behind me.

"I have a couple more tricks up my sleeve than my puppet." Kankurō whispered in my ear.

"Stick it where the sun don't shine." I spat, kicking him in the kneecap, spinning out of his grip.

Then I was struck with a feeling of paralysis. My arms jerked up and my legs came out from under me.

"He's using his chakra strings to control Kristin, using her as a puppet." Shikamaru grumbled.

"_Oh that bastard." _Helena spat.

"Agreed." I mumbled.

Kankurō pulled me closer and punched me in the jaw, sending me to the ground. He then flung me into the side wall, yanking me to my feet.

"You probably should've thought about it before you torched the Crow." Kankurō said, pulling to him and wrapping his arms around me. "Now I have to improvise." he brushed my uneven ponytail over my shoulder and lightly caressed the side of my neck. "You're cute, I'll give ya that."

"Go to Hell." I snarled.

"Not a chance sweetheart." he rasped in my ear.

Then he flung me all around the arena, slamming me into the walls, the ground, he even tossed me into the air and let me fall.

"Come on, we're just getting started." Kankurō growled.

* * *

He flicked his fingers and my body moved on its own. My back arched off the ground, causing me intense pain. I rolled from side to side, screaming in pain.

Out of everyone's voices I heard in the arena, only one stuck out among them, and that was Shikamaru's, yelling my name.

Kankurō tossed me up in the air and swung me into the wall, and I felt something warm and sticky run down the side of my face, followed by the sound of clanking metal on the ground.

My body was heading towards its breaking point, and I knew I couldn't keep the fight up much longer at that pace.

"What's the matter sweetheart? Lost all your fighting spirit already?" Kankurō taunted slamming me into the far wall, then flinging me back to the floor.

I struggled to stand up, but collapsed on my knees, water sloshing around me. Pain came in waves, its focal point at my hip…my knife wound.

* * *

"Come on Kristin! Fight back!" Naruto called to me.

I gasped and looked up to my right. My blonde-haired teammate was leaning over the railing, his hands on either side of his mouth.

"You can't let this jerk toss you around like some rag doll!" he yelled. "Fight back! Show him how amazing you rally are!"

"Naruto." I muttered.

"Don't let yourself loose to this asshole!" Naruto called. "Kick his ass all the way back to his village!"

I looked up at my friends, who all gave me reassuring smiles. I smiled and chuckled.

* * *

"Man, that kid is annoying." Kankurō muttered.

"You're preaching to the choir here." I told him, slowly standing up. "But he has a point. I can't…no I won't loose to a jerk like you." I smirked.

"What makes you so sure you can beat me?" Kankurō asked, glaring at me. "Sweetheart, you're just not strong enough."

I smirked, "Like I need anything from you. You don't even know me." I told him. "I was always teased growing up, because of my hair. I was called a freak and was told I would never amount to becoming a true ninja." I said. "But, I had true friends who stood by me, and as long as they believe in me, I'll win." I smiled and closed my eyes.

* * *

{Flashback}

"Maybe if I just dyed my bangs the same color has the rest of my hair, he won't make fun of me anymore." I thought out loud, sighing.

Choji huffed. "No, c'mon Kris that's not the answer." he said.

"He's right, you can't cave like that." Shikamaru added.

I turned to face him, "Why not? If it'll get him and his friends to stop teasing me-"

Shikamaru held up his finger to cut me off, "You shouldn't change anything about your hair, it's beautiful just the way it is." he said, running his finger over my pink bangs. "And one day, people are going to see that. You'll be a Kunoichi who is just as strong as she is beautiful, and trust me, you will be beautiful."

{End Flashback}

* * *

"_You'll be a Kunoichi who is just as strong as she is beautiful, and trust me, you will be beautiful." _Shikamaru's words echoed in my mind, and I smiled.

"A very dear friend once told me I would become a Kunoichi who is just as strong as she is beautiful." I said aloud. "I've lived by those words since then, trusting him with that statement."

I opened my eyes and cast a glance upward, my eyes meeting Shikamaru's. He leaned over the railing and smiled down at me.

"I trust him implicitly, always have and always will." I said, still keeping Shikamaru's gaze. "So I'm not gonna loose here."

I closed my eyes and focused hard. My dreams and my goals were clear and set, now I just had to step up to the plate to make them come true. I felt a rush of power and when I opened my eyes, they became sharper, I could see everything clearly.

* * *

Everyone gasped in the arena.

"How is that even possible?" Guy-sensei asked.

"Could it really be…" dad trailed off.

* * *

I glanced down at the puddle near my feet and realized what everyone was so shocked by. My eye…they weren't blue anymore, but red, with a faint black circle around my pupil, with two black tomoe in my left eye and one in my right.

"_The Sharingan?" _I gasped. _"How is that even possible?"_

"_Well your dad has one, maybe it was passed down through the genetic code." _Helena guessed.

I smiled, I really didn't care how I got this rare power, but it was probably just what I needed to beat Kankurō and prove that I deserve to make it to the next stage.

With my newfound strength, I broke the hold of the chakra strings

I pulled my final 'Water Summoning Scroll' out of my pouch and held it in my hands, focusing my chakra into it. I unsealed the scroll, wiped my blood across the inside, jumped into the air and spun the scroll all around me, building up momentum. I executed the signs Boar-Dog-Ram, "Water Style: Ripping Torrent!" I yelled, slamming my palm down on the scroll, summoning the water and it slammed into Kankurō with full force, making me smile to myself.

"Damn." Kankurō grumbled.

By now the arena was starting to look like a miniature lake. A few more high-pressured summons would've flooded the place, but I was out of 'Water Summoning Scrolls', so I had to work with the water I had, which was still more than enough to take out Kankurō.

I landed on the ground and sighed. Another wave of pain came over me and I gasped.

"_I have to end this now, otherwise I'm screwed." _I thought.

I clasped my hands together and executed the following sequence, Tiger-Ox-Monkey-Rabbit-Ram-Boar-Ox-Horse-Monkey-Tiger-Dog-Tiger-Snake-Tiger-Ox-Monkey-Rabbit-Bird, I held the last sign out and made a hole with my hands, "Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!"

A large stream of water surged up and swirled around. I managed to see my reflection in the water and the tomoe in my Sharingan were spinning as well, as rapidly as the water. I threw my fist out and the water swallowed Kankurō, soaking him from head to toe.

* * *

"Wow, amazing." I heard Sakura gasp.

"Nice one Kristin!" Naruto cheered.

"That attack took a lot out of her." Choji muttered, yet I heard it plain as day.

"She's almost out of chakra." Shikamaru added, and he was right.

* * *

I was breathing heavily, and the pain was almost unbearable at this point. So, no matter what, I had to end the match, and I had the perfect technique in mind.

I took a deep breath and put my hands together, executing a simple sequence, Ox-Ram-Dragon-Dog, I held my palm and gathered my chakra, focusing it. As it gathered, it took on an electrical look.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Claw!" I threw my hand back and the lightning chakra engulfed it and surged.

I glared at Kankurō, who was gasping for breath I smiled and prepared to lunge forward, all I needed was a decent shot and the electrical current will be enough to shock him into unconsciousness, and name me the winner of the match, and the third Rookie to make it to the finals.

* * *

Kankurō and I charged forward each other, so we both knew this would be the final attack. I threw my electrically charged fist right at him, aiming for the soaking fabric on his shoulder. And at the same time, Kankurō was preparing his own punch as well.

Then it hit me. Kankurō's fist connected with my lower ribs, and he twisted his fist, slamming it into my knife wound. It took everything I had to keep my chakra flow up and grip the fabric of his sleeve. I coughed and spit blood, and my chakra vanished from my hand.

Kankurō and I landed on opposite sides of the arena, our backs to each other. I put my hand to my side, and I felt the blood begin to trickle down my side.

"_Come on, just pass out already." _I thought, fighting so hard to try and stay upright.

I collapsed on my knees, coughing. Blood trickled from my mouth and dripped onto the concrete floor.

* * *

My vision began to blur around me. With the last of my strength, I glanced to my right and saw Shikamaru and Choji gripping the railing, their hands trembling and a mixture of worry and anxiety in their eyes. I gave them a small smile and suddenly, I was laying on my side, and my vision was narrow and blurry.

Hayate walked over and placed his index and middle finger to my throat, checking my pulse, which I knew was probably weak.

"Since Kristin is not able to continue, the winner of the match is Kankurō." he announced.

"Kristin!" I heard a dull echo of Shikamaru's voice yell my name.

I coughed again and blood spurted from my mouth. I felt myself being turned over and I looked up and Shikamaru was leaning right over me, although my vision was blurring around the edges.

"Shikamaru?" I questioned.

He smiled a little bit and cradled my body, my head rested in the nape of his neck. One arm rested underneath my neck and the other rested under my thighs. Shikamaru rubbed my shoulders, and I felt…content in that moment.

Then I jerked my head up and threw up more blood onto the floor. I used my right arm to grip onto Shikamaru's shoulder to lift myself up. I tasted the iron in my mouth and it lingered there.

I collapsed, my head resting on my best friend's shoulder. I looked up into his eyes, "I lost…didn't I?"

Shikamaru nodded, "Yeah, but you were fantastic." he told me, caressing my cheek.

I smiled weakly, "Yeah…" my vision was getting fuzzier by the second, I knew something was wrong, but my strength was leaving me faster than I could form words.

"Kris?" Choji asked, kneeling down next to me. He placed his fingers to my throat, and he yelled, "Someone get the Medical Corp!"

I took a ragged, shaky breath and coughed again.

"C'mon Kris, stay with me." Shikamaru told me, cradling me closer to him.

I gripped his upper bicep, gripping the fabric of his jacket. "I can't…" I whimpered, feeling tears come to my eyes.

"Yes you can, c'mon." Shikamaru moved to help me stand, but I halted him by tightening my grip.

"No I…I can't feel my legs." I admitted, and it was true. I couldn't feel my lower body at all.

Shikamaru looked at me with wide eyes. "You can move your arms right?" he asked. I nodded. "Okay, wrap them around my neck, c'mon."

"I'm so cold." I whimpered, turning my head into his chest.

"Here." Shikamaru shrugged his jacket off and draped it over my shoulders, and I slid my arms through the sleeves. "Now wrap your arms around my neck." I did so, gripping as tightly as I could. "Now easy. Nice and easy." he whispered, slowly lifting me into his arms and standing up. His arms rested under my knees and the middle of my back.

I kept my arms laced around his neck and my head buried in the nape of it. Shikamaru leaned down and kissed my forehead, "Stay with me Kris."

* * *

Shikamaru carried me across the arena floor, and I saw everyone in the arena watching us. The Medical Corp awaited with a stretcher at the entrance, and I could feel my strength slipping away. Shikamaru carefully knelt down and placed me on the stretcher, but I gripped his mesh t-shirt, locking eyes with him and Choji "No matter what's happened so far, you both kept your promise, and I thank you for that. "You both mean a lot to me and I only wish I can stay and cheer you on, just like you did for me. I believe in the both of you."

Choji caressed my cheek, holding back tears. "Kris…"

"Choji, you've always been the kindest person that I know. You have the biggest heart in a shinobi that I have ever seen. I thank you for letting me have a small space there. Thank you, my friend." I reached up and took his hand, rubbing the top of it.

Choji took my hand and kissed the top of it, and I saw he was holding my butterfly clip.

Shikamaru tightened his grip and set me on the stretcher, but I kept my arms locked around his neck. I looked up into his brown eyes, "No matter how dangerous things got, you still stayed and helped us. You're the greatest friend I have Shikamaru, and I thank you for always being there for me. You're my best friend, and I'm glad to have known you."

Shikamaru smiled down at me and planted a kiss on my forehead. I let my arms fall from his neck and they landed at my sides. The only thing that was keeping me upright were Shikamaru's arms around my upper back.

"I promise you, as soon as the Preliminaries are over, Choji and I will come see you." he told me, looking into my eyes. He moved one hand to cup my cheek, "I promise."

I closed my eyes and nodded. "Good luck, and whoever you fight, please be careful." I told him.

"I will." Shikamaru replied, his hand lingered on my cheek. He wiped the blood that trickled from lower lip.

My senses were dulling and my vision was dimming, everything around me seemed to disappear into darkness. I couldn't even here Helena's voice anymore, which scared me. I used up every last bit of chakra in that match, and Kankurō's one good shot was enough to knock me out. I was fatigued from the survival test and I could feel my body going into shock, I was shivering and sweating.

The last thing I remember is someone placing a kiss on my forehead and cupping my face. His lips were soft and his touch was gentle…and then…everything disappeared into darkness.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Helena**: I fell like death warmed over. *Groans* Where the hell are we anyway?

**Kristin**: The Leaf Village Hospital, go figure since we threw up a whole mess of blood on the arena floor.

**Helena**: So what's next for us since the Prelims are over with?

**Kristin**: Who knows. Wait, why is Lord Hokage here? Next time: **Surprising News: A Second Chance!**

**Helena**: Time to hit the grindstone baby girl.

**Kristin**: Damn straight.

* * *

**A/N: **This marks the end of the Preliminary Rounds of the **Chūnin Exam Arc **of my story and, as the title of the next chapter says, Kristin gets a little bit of surprising news. Now I realize it wouldn't be fair or within continuity of the show at all. but that's what makes this a fanfiction. So I will have a couple more original chapters, kinda like this one, and then I will probably combine some episodes of the Finals into one or two chapters, just to move the story along. Then it will be time for the **Invasion of Konoha Arc**. Anyways, I hope you enjoy^^ Review and tell me what ya think


	40. My Second Chance!

**Surprising News: My Second Chance!**

* * *

My head felt heavy and I was drifting back to consciousness, slowly. I felt something soft on my shoulder and I turned my head and saw a mess of pink and black draped over my skin.

"Kallera?" I breathed, my voice sounded hoarse and raspy.

The little mess stirred and I was met with a pair of sky blue eyes, mirrors of my own. A smile spread across her face "Sissy! You're awake!" she squealed, throwing her arms around me, her hands gripping the fabric on my shoulders.

"Ouch, still sore." I gasped, recoiling from the pain.

Kallera jumped back, "Oh sorry." she apologized.

I smiled at her and lifted my right hand, patting her head, "It's okay." I said.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." someone of the male gender joked from the other side of the bed.

I turned my head and saw Shikamaru, still in his mesh t-shirt, sitting by my bedside. I faintly noticed a small wound on his shoulder. He smiled and caressed my cheek, "How ya feeling?" he asked.

I blinked a couple time and my vision became clearer, "Fine except for my head's beating like a drum and I have the most God awful taste in my mouth." I replied, licking the inside of my mouth.

"Well the head pain comes from your fight, and the taste…the blood you coughed up." Shikamaru said, sitting on the bed, looking down at me.

I nodded and tried to sit up, and was struck with a sharp pain in my abdominal area. I winced, "Ow."

"Careful." Kallera and Shikamaru warned in unison.

"Don't try to move too much." Shikamaru added.

"Seriously sis, you've been unconscious for hours." Kallera followed.

"I feel like I was run over by a stampede of bulls." I compared.

"I can honestly say, you look better than you did at the Preliminaries." Shikamaru said, brushing some hair out of my face.

I smiled, "Thanks, I guess."

* * *

There was a knock at the door and in the doorway stood a Leaf Medical Ninja, in the standard uniform. "Welcome back Miss Hatake." he greeted, walking over to my bedside. "How are you feeling?"

"Still a bit dizzy." I answered as the Medical-nin checked my vitals.

"That's probably from the medication wearing off." answered the medical-nin, "You should be fine in a few more hours."

"So when can I get out of here?" I asked.

"Woah, hold it there." Shikamaru halted. "You passed out Kris, and you just came back to consciousness, and now you wanna leave?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

The medical-nin smiled, "I'm not sure, let me see how your wound is first."

I leaned against the pillows and pushed the blankets down, revealing a fresh dressing on my left hip. Shikamaru moved to sit next to me on the bed while the medical-nin took a look at my wounds.

A faint scar ran across the middle of my hip and it was red against my skin. I had also noticed that my demon seal had disappeared. The medical ninja performed two hand signs, Ox and Tiger, and his hand was engulfed in green chakra. He held his palm over my wound, using his own chakra to sooth and heal it.

In an instant, the pain went away. And in a minute or two, the scar disappeared completely.

"Now there will be some residual pain, but that just comes from the amount of damage you took." informed the medical-nin. "So whenever you do get out of here, take it easy at first."

I nodded. "Okay, I will."

"I'll make sure she does." Kallera chided, leaning on my shoulder.

"Hey, I'm the older sister here." I reminded her. Kallera just looked up at me and smiled.

We were interrupted by another visitor. "May I speak with this young Kunoichi alone for a minute?" he asked, in a gravely voice.

"Certainly Lord Hokage." replied the medical-nin.

"_Why is Lord Hokage visiting me?" _I asked myself.

The elder leader stepped around the curtain and stood at the foot of my bed, his pipe in his mouth.

Shikamaru looked over at my sister, "Say squirt, let's go get something to eat." he said.

Kallera looked at him and nodded, "Sure." she leaned over and kissed my cheek, "See ya sis." then she jumped off the bed.

"See ya in a bit." Shikamaru said, kissing my forehead.

"Yeah." I replied, smiling.

* * *

They walked out and the Third took a seat on my bed, in front of me.

"What brings you here Lord Hokage?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"I wanted to see if you were okay." he answered. "You looked a little pale after your match. I can see now you have color in your face again."

I reached up and touched my face on instinct. The Third smiled at me, a sweet, grandfatherly smiled.

"I'm sorry that I lost." I said to him. "I feel like I let you down somehow, Lord Hokage."

"No, don't be like that little one." he said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "I'm just happy you're alive, you gave us all quite the scare."

I looked down and twiddled my fingers and let out a deep sigh.

"I also have come to tell you something." Lord Hokage went on. "I was impressed with your performance in the Preliminary round, and as Kage of the hosting village, I have certain privileges regarding my Genin."

"And?" I pressed.

"I want to see more from you, because I believe you have what it takes to make it to the next level." Lord Hokage went on. "So, with that being said, I'm giving you a second chance."

I gasped. "Really? I'm moving on to the finals?" I asked him, not fully believing it.

The Third Hokage nodded, smiling. "Congratulations young one."

I giggled and reached over and hugged the Third. "Thank you so much, you won't regret this."

"You have one month to train for this final competition." answered the Third. "And I'll let you know who you're up against."

"I already have an opponent chosen?" I asked, confused.

The third pulled out a sheet of paper with a bracket system set up, two names were listed under each line.

"It's a tournament?" I questioned. "So does that mean only one person will be able to become a Chūnin?"

The Third chuckled, "You and Shikamaru are a lot alike." he said. "He asked the very same question. No, this is an opportunity to showcase your abilities, the more chance you fight, the higher the success of achieving Chūnin rank. Even if someone looses in the first leg, he or she could still achieve the next ranking. Conversely, none could achieve the rank, it's all about how you present yourself and showcase your abilities."

I nodded. "So who am I fighting?" I asked him.

"Orchi Hagane." he answered.

My jaw dropped. "Orchi? Really?"

The Third nodded. "I believe you can. Rest your body for a couple days, then get to training." he advised. "And I think it would be wise to have a sparring partner."

I nodded. "Yes sir, Lord Hokage." I smiled, "And who would you suggest?"

He stood up and smiled at me, "Maybe your friend, Shikamaru." he answered, smiling. "Good day Kristin." he patted my shoulder and walked out, just as my dad walked in.

"Daddy." I sighed.

"There's my girl." he said, reaching down and hugging me.

I threw my arms around his neck and let my tears out. "I love you dad. Thank you so much for everything you've taught me." I said, burying my face in his neck.

Dad rubbed my back, "I love you too, and I am so proud of you." he replied. He pulled away and brushed the loose hair off of my shoulder. "So what did Lord Hokage want?"

I bit my lip, "He's giving me a second chance." I answered, smiling. "I'm fighting Orchi in the finals!"

Dad's expression looked shocked. "Well then, I'll have to find someone to train you then."

"Why can't you train me?" I asked him.

He looked at me and then I knew, "Sasuke." I breathed, leaning back against the pillows.

* * *

The door to my room opened and Shikamaru and Kallera walked in, carrying boxes and drink containers. "We come with food." Kallera announced.

"Thank God because I am starving." I sighed.

"I'm gonna talk to the doctors and sign your discharge papers, then find that trainer." Dad said, kissing my forehead. "Love you."

"Love you too." I replied, smiling.

Dad ruffled Kallera's hair as he walked out.

"You're favorite." Shikamaru said, hading me the box of food.

"Barbeque Pork Rice with Miso-Curry sauce?" I asked, looking up at him.

He nodded, with a smile on his face.

"Oh, you rock man." I sighed, opening the box and breaking apart my chopsticks. I grabbed as much as I could and popped it in my mouth, savoring the taste. "Fantastic." I breathed, smiling.

Shikamaru and Kallera cracked open their boxes and ate as well. My little sister cuddled up next to me on my right and my best friend sat next to me on my left.

"Shika also picked up some Sweet Raspberry Dango for dessert." Kallera giggled, popping a piece of pork in her mouth.

I turned to him, "You sure know how to spoil a girl." I giggled, smiling.

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders, "You're injured, I figured it was the best way to help you feel better."

I smiled and leaned into his chest, and he draped his arm over my shoulder. "Thanks, you're the best." I giggled.

We ate our lunch and split the dessert, and I felt so much better after that. It was the first real, tasty food I've had five days.

* * *

The nurses said I was free to go so I did. And my first order of business was to take a nice, hot shower. And I decided to take the Third's advice and asked Shikamaru if I could train with him, and he said yes, and even offered to let me live with him for the month of training time, which I also agreed to.

"So who else made it to the finals?" I asked Shikamaru, as I pulled my hair back up in a ponytail."

"Well now counting you and Sasuke, me, Neji, Naruto, Orchi, Shino, Dosu, and the three sand ninja." Shikamaru answered.

"All three of them? Who else did they fight?" I asked him, shocked that the entire sand team made it.

"Well the girl, Temari, fought and beat Tenten." Shikamaru answered me.

I nodded, "Yeah the girl on Lee's team." I remembered.

"And Gaara, well that was a real fight." Shikamaru went on. "He went up against Lee."

I stopped in my tracks and looked at him. "Lee? Is he okay?"

Shikamaru sighed and his shoulders fell. "It was an intense battle Kris, it nearly totaled the arena."

"Shikamaru, tell me what happened to Lee." I said, sternly.

He grabbed my hand, "Let me just show you." and he led me down the hallway and we took the next left.

* * *

A few rooms down, we came to an ajar door and I peeked inside. What I saw was Rock Lee, laying unconscious in the small bed, large casts covering his left arm and leg. Guy-sensei sat by the bedside, and I could tell he had been crying.

I put my hand to my mouth and back away, right into Shikamaru's arms. I stifled the tears, "You mean…Gaara did that…to Lee?" I asked, sniffling.

"It was way worse to watch, trust me." Shikamaru said, rubbing my shoulders. "Let's go." he led me back down the hallway and to the front lobby.

* * *

I heard sounds of arguing and knew right away it was Naruto.

"Keep it down Naruto, you're in a hospital for Kage's sake." I scolded, walking up to him.

"Well look who decided to rejoin the land of the living." Naruto huffed, glaring at me.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and groaned. "Naruto, I wouldn't test her if I were you." he warned. I nodded in agreement.

"So what's goin on Kris? Everything okay?" he asked. Oh sure, now he was worried about me.

"I'm fine, in fact more than fine." I answered. "The Hokage gave me a second chance, I'm fighting Orchi in the Final Competition."

Naruto gaped, "No way, great!" he gave me a high five.

I smiled, "Yeah Shikamaru and I were gonna train together." I added, glancing at my best friend. "And he offered for me to stay with him, so yeah. See ya around."

"Later." Naruto called, waving.

I waved back, walking out of the hospital with Shikamaru and Kallera. We made my way back to my house where I packed a duffle bag of clothes and ninja tools.

* * *

"So what am I gonna do in the meantime while you're training?" Kallera asked, leaning in the doorway, her long, black hair laying on her shoulders.

"You'll stay here with Kovu, it'll give you the chance to catch up." I answered, folding up two of my blankets and placing them in my duffle. "I'll visit, and you're more than welcome to watch me train."

Kallera rolled her eyes, "Yeah like I wanna impose on you and your boyfriend."

"Shikamaru is not my boyfriend." I corrected. "And before you say anything else, neither is Choji or Sasuke."

Kallera smiled, "Denial." she murmured. "I can tell that the lazy ass is in love with you, it's obvious."

I sighed, "Think what you want, he's a friend, nothing more."

"Do you want to tell him that?" Kallera asked.

I ignored her and finished packing, placing my pillow on top and slinging the strap over my shoulder.

"So if there's nothing between the two of you, why are you still wearing that jacket?" Kallera asked as I walked past her.

I wasn't even registering the fact I was wearing it, until I took a step back and looked at myself in my mirror. Shikamaru's short-sleeved, grey jacket with green edges was still around me, and it still had the dirt stains on it. I overlooked my reflection…and remembered.

* * *

{Flashback}

"I can't feel my legs." I admitted, and it was true. I couldn't feel my lower body at all.

Shikamaru looked at me with wide eyes. "You can move your arms right?" he asked. I nodded. "Okay, wrap them around my neck, c'mon."

"I'm so cold." I whimpered, turning my head into his chest.

"Here." Shikamaru shrugged his jacket off and draped it over my shoulders, and I slid my arms through the sleeves. "Now wrap your arms around my neck." I did so, gripping as tightly as I could. "Now easy. Nice and easy." he whispered, slowly lifting me into his arms and standing up. His arms rested under my knees and the middle of my back.

I kept my arms laced around his neck and my head buried in the nape of it. Shikamaru leaned down and kissed my forehead, "Stay with me Kris."

Shikamaru carried me across the arena floor, and I saw everyone in the arena watching us.

He tightened his grip and set me on the stretcher, but I kept my arms locked around his neck. I looked up into his brown eyes, "No matter how dangerous things got, you still stayed and helped us. You're the greatest friend I have Shikamaru, and I thank you for always being there for me. You're my best friend, and I'm glad to have known you."

Shikamaru smiled down at me and planted a kiss on my forehead. I let my arms fall from his neck and they landed at my sides. The only thing that was keeping me upright were Shikamaru's arms around my upper back.

"I promise you, as soon as the Preliminaries are over, Choji and I will come see you." he told me, looking into my eyes. He moved one hand to cup my cheek, "I promise."

I closed my eyes and nodded. "Good luck, and whoever you fight, please be careful." I told him.

"I will." Shikamaru replied, his hand lingered on my cheek.

My senses were dulling and my vision was dimming, everything around me seemed to disappear into darkness. I couldn't even here Helena's voice anymore, which scared me. I used up every last bit of chakra in that match, and Kankurō's one good shot was enough to knock me out. I was fatigued from the survival test and I could feel my body going into shock, I was shivering and sweating.

The last thing I remember is someone placing a kiss on my forehead and cupping my face. His lips were soft and his touch was gentle…and then…everything disappeared into darkness.

{End Flashback}

* * *

"Right." I muttered, shrugging the jacket off. I held it over my arm and walked out of my room and down the stairs.

"Ready?" Shikamaru asked.

I nodded and tossed his jacket to him. "Let's go." I answered. I kissed my little sister goodbye and walked out the door, and followed Shikamaru to his house.

* * *

It was late day when we finally arrived at the Nara stronghold, and I was feeling better by the second because I could finally relax.

"Hey Shikamaru?" I asked, as we walked down the street of the stronghold.

"Yeah?" he replied, his hands in his pockets.

"Think your mom could cut my hair?" I looked at him.

"I'm sure she could. Actually, I think she'd like to." Shikamaru chuckled and ran his hand down my uneven, lavender ponytail.

I chuckled and cracked a small smile as we continued walking down the street. We arrived at his house and Shikamaru seemed almost hesitant to open the door.

"Well?" I pressed, nudging his shoulder.

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm just trying to delay the lecture I know I'm gonna get coming."

I giggled, reaching out and knocking on the door.

"Coming." came Mrs. Nara's voice. She opened the door, eyes closed and smiling. When she opened her eyes, she saw us, "Well it's about time you got home Shikamaru, otherwise I was going to have to hunt you down." she scolded.

"Yeah well I had a prior obligation." Shikamaru replied.

"And what was so important you couldn't drop by home first?" Mrs. Nara asked, hands on her hips.

"Uh, my best friend being in the hospital with a serious injury." Shikamaru answered, motioning to me.

Mrs. Nara's gaze went to me and she gasped, "Oh Kristin, sweetheart, what happened?" she asked, probably fixating on my dirty clothes and my greasy, uneven hair.

"That is a very long story Mrs. Nara." I answered.

"Is it okay if she stays here?" Shikamaru asked, "Since we're both moving on to the Final Competition."

"Of course." she answered, almost giddily. "Kristin is always welcome here." Mrs. Nara put her hand on my shoulder and led me inside, with Shikamaru following us.

Shikamaru's house wasn't big as in story wise, but length. I found it very homey and loved the feel itself of the house. Mrs. Nara led me from the front living room into the kitchen and dining area, where her husband, Shikaku, sat drinking a glass of brownish-liquid, what I assumed was Scotch or Brandy.

"Sweetie, we have a visitor." Mrs. Nara called as we walked in.

Shikaku looked up at Shikamaru and myself, cracking a smile. "Well looks like the Chūnin Selection Exams did you both in." he said.

"No shit, dad." Shikamaru said, taking a seat at the table.

I rolled my eyes, "Amen to that." I agreed.

* * *

Mrs. Nara put her hand on my shoulder, "Come on, I'll help you get comfortable."

"Thanks Mrs. Nara." I replied, as we walked down the hallway.

"Please, call me Yoshi." she said, sliding open the guest room door and walking inside.

I smiled and set my duffle on the floor next to the bed.

"I'll be right back and get a robe and draw up a bath for you." Yoshi said, smiling.

"Okay." I replied.

Yoshi slid the door closed and I placed my pillow and blankets on the bed and sighed. She came back in carrying a thick, brown robe.

"Here ya go sweetie." Yoshi handed the robe to me, smiling.

"Thanks Mrs.-Yoshi." I corrected.

I took my top and skirt off, along with everything else and slid the robe on and tied it tightly around me.

"Now come on, I'll draw up a bath for you." Yoshi led me to the Master Bathroom, which was part of the bedroom she shared with Shikaku.

I looked down the hallway and saw Shikamaru and his dad talking, probably about what happened at the exams this past week. I smiled and followed Yoshi into her room, and on into the bathroom.

"Okay so here's some relaxing bubble bath that'll help." Yoshi said, pulling out a bottle of Rosemary Mint scented bubble bath.

"Um Yoshi, think I can ask you a favor?" I asked, leaning against the cabinet.

"Sure thing sweetie, anything." Yoshi replied, pulling out bottles of shampoo and conditioner, same scent as the bubble bath.

I pulled my hair out of its ponytail, letting the uneven locks fall over my shoulders. "Think you can cut my hair?" I asked, uneasy.

Yoshi turned back to me and her expression changed. she ran her fingers through a lavender strand that fell over my shoulder and reached to the middle of my chest. She smiled, "Of course I will honey. I'd be happy to."

"Thanks." I replied, smiling.

"I'll wash it out myself and trim it until it's evened out." she added. "So I'm gonna get dinner started and I'll be back to check on you." she turned the faucet in the bathtub off. "Soak and relax, and when I come back with your clothes, tell me when you'll be ready for me to fix your hair."

I nodded, "Thank you, and thanks for letting me stay here." I smiled, bowing my head.

"Sweetie, you're always welcome here, whenever you want." Yoshi patted my shoulder and kissed my forehead.

* * *

She shut the bathroom door and I slipped out of the robe, and into the nice, hot water. I grabbed a clip and pulled my hair off my neck and sank into the water, letting out a breathy sigh.

"Perfect." I sighed, leaning against the back of the tub.

I grabbed the scented body wash and rubbed it up and down my arms, scrubbing off the dirt from the forest. I let the wash set as I went to scrub my legs.

After washing them, I leaned back and closed my eyes, inhaling the Rosemary Mint scent, letting it soothe me.

"_Yeah, after five days in that hell of a forest, this is exactly what I needed." _I thought, smiling.

There was a knock at the door, "Kristin sweetie, I have your clothes for you." Yoshi said.

"Come in." I replied, leaning down in the water. I knew I really didn't need to because we were both girls and the bubbles covered everything, but I did anyway.

Yoshi cracked open the door and slipped inside, carrying my black sweatpants, jade green, spaghetti strapped, tank top and brown slippers.

"Here ya go sweetie." Yoshi said, smiling. She set the clothes on the counter. "How are ya feeling?"

"Better, thanks." I said, running water over my arms, making sure all the body wash was washed off.

"You ready for me to do your hair?" Yoshi asked.

I nodded, "Yeah." I answered, reaching down to un-plug the drain.

Yoshi handed me a towel and I wrapped myself around in it, forming it like a strapless dress. I dried my body off and changed into the clothes Yoshi brought me. Lastly, I took my hair out and it hung loose over my shoulders.

"Five days in the Forest of Death can do a number on you." Yoshi muttered, grabbing a brush from the drawer.

I kneeled down and sat on the deep blue rug on the floor. "No kidding." I agreed.

Yoshi brushed through my hair, and it was really matted. "Sorry if this hurts, but beauty knows no pain."

I rolled my eyes and suffered through the tugging. I leaned back and Yoshi poured cool water on my hair, wetting it. Then she put a small dab of shampoo in her hand and ran it through my hair. She lathered and lathered until my hair was almost as white as my dad's.

* * *

There was a knock on the bathroom door and Shikamaru stood over the threshold. "Hey mom, the time went off."

Yoshi gasped, "That must be the fish." she muttered, drying her hands on the towel. "I have to check on it, Shikamaru can you stay here with Kristin?" she asked, standing up.

"Uh, what can I do?" Shikamaru asked.

"Rinse the shampoo out of her hair and lather the conditioner in it and let it seta bit, if I'm not back by then, rinse it out." she ordered, running out.

Shikamaru stood confused. He raised an eyebrow and looked at me. "This is such a drag."

I rolled my eyes, "It's not that hard." I told him.

"Since I have no choice." Shikamaru sighed. He knelt down next to me and ran water through my hair, rinsing out the shampoo.

I closed my eyes and smiled, "See, not that hard."

Shikamaru scoffed and ran his fingers through my hair.

"So tell me who fought against who after my match." I told him, looking up. "I want to know how much action I really missed."

Shikamaru sighed, "Well Ino and Sakura went after you."

I shot up, my hair flinging water everywhere. "Ino and Sakura? Are you serious?"

"Yeah, it was a double knockout." Shikamaru added.

"Damn, that would've been a good fight." I muttered, laying down and putting my hair back in the bathtub.

"Yeah then it was Temari and Tenten, which Temari won." Shikamaru went on. "Then I went against the sound ninja girl. Then Orchi against Yoroi, from Kabuto's team. Naruto and Kiba, Hinata and Neji, Gaara and Lee, and finally Choji and Dosu."

I nodded, "Sounds like some interesting matches." I said.

"No argument there." Shikamaru agreed.

He squirted a dab of conditioner in his hand and ran it through my hair, making sure it was lathered in. "There, now what?"

"Rinse it out." I answered.

So he repeated the process, rinsing out the conditioner in my hair. Just as he finished, Yoshi walked in.

"I'll let you two girls finish up." Shikamaru said, standing up.

"Thanks Shikamaru." I said, leaning against the bathtub and towel drying my hair.

"See you at dinner." he said, kissing my forehead.

I smiled at my friend and watched as he left.

* * *

"Now, to even out your hair." Yoshi said.

I moved forward a little and she knelt behind me, brushing out my, now clean, hair.

"Thanks again Yoshi." I said, smiling.

"Not a problem dear." Yoshi smiled back and continued brushing. She gathered the uneven, lavender strands and snipped the edges. She brushed my hair a few more times before returning to the cutting. After about ten minutes, my hair was all evened out, and not as short as I thought it would be.

"There, all done." Yoshi said, helping me stand up. "Now there's one more thing I want to do, come here."

I smiled at my reflection and followed her into her room. She motioned for me to sit next to her on her bed, so I did, my back facing her. Yoshi brushed through my hair and gathered it in sections. It only took a few minutes of her twisting the sections for her to finish, she tied the end in a dark green ribbon.

"There, done." Yoshi said, putting her hands on her thighs.

I ran my fingers over the back of my hair and found out she braided it, "Thanks, I love it." I said, giggling.

"I'm glad, now come on, let's eat." Yoshi smiled back at me and I followed her into the kitchen.

* * *

Dinner was oven baked fish over a bowel of rice and fresh vegetables. I sat across from Shikamaru, who was next to Yoshi, who was opposite Shikaku, who was on my right.

"Thanks for the food." Shikamaru and I said in unison before digging in.

Shikamaru and I told his parents about the Chūnin Exams and what happened so far, and they seemed impressed that us being Rookies, we made it all the way to the final rounds.

"Well, I'm sure you both will be great." Yoshi said.

"If I get paired with Kristin any time after the first set, I'm forfeiting." Shikamaru scoffed and took a cube of fish.

I rolled my eyes, "Why? Because you don't wanna fight a girl?" I questioned, taking a sip of my lemon water.

"Well there that." Shikamaru answered, smirking, "But honestly, you would kick my ass."

I popped a bit of rice in my mouth, "So true, I would." We both chuckled, as did Yoshi and Shikaku.

* * *

After dinner, Yoshi brewed some herbal tea to help us relax and help with a goodnight's sleep. I took my mug back to the room with me and laid in bed. Since I knew who was in the finals, it was sinking in that the best of the best moved on, and I had a feeling something was going to happen at the final competition.

"_So the Leaf Genin I don't need to worry about, it's the others that scare me." _I thought. The Sand and Sound ninja would do anything to win, Gaara went as far as trying to kill Lee in the Preliminaries, and Dosu doesn't play fair either.

"_What if someone gets hurt? Or worse?" _I questioned, taking a sip of my herbal tea.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in." I said.

The door opened and Shikamaru stepped in, wearing a dark green muscle shirt and brown sweatpants. "Hey." he greeted.

"Hi." I replied, smiling. I took a sip of my tea.

Shikamaru sat on the bed, "So you ready for training tomorrow?" he asked.

I took another sip and sighed, "Yeah, I'm ready." I answered, setting the mug on the small nightstand. "Do you know who you're fighting in the first round?" I asked him, looking up.

Shikamaru reached over and took my hand, stroking the top of it. "Yeah, I do."

"Who?" I pressed, keeping my hands still.

Shikamaru sighed, "Dosu." he answered, squeezing my hand.

I shuddered, _"Great." _I thought. "Well, at least it's not Gaara, then I'd be really worried."

"Sasuke's going up against Gaara." Shikamaru told me.

I gaped, "Seriously?" I asked.

Shikamaru nodded, squeezing my hand tighter. I smiled and squeezed back. "I should probably get some sleep." I told him.

Shikamaru smiled and nodded, "Yeah, it's been a long day." he stood up and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Night Kris." he said, kissing my forehead.

I closed my eyes and smiled, "Night." I replied, looking up at him.

Shikamaru walked to the door and slid it open. "Hey, Shikamaru." I called.

He halted his movements, and turned back to me, "Yeah?" he asked.

"Thanks for letting me stay." I said, throwing back the blankets and getting out of the bed. I walked over and wrapped my arms around his neck. "It really means a lot that I have friends I can count on."

After a few seconds, Shikamaru's arms snaked around my lower back, returning my hug. "Of course, I'll always be here for you."

I smiled and hugged him tighter. I pulled away and Shikamaru pulled my braid over my shoulder, a smile on his face.

"Get some sleep, tomorrow starts a long month of training." he said, smiling.

"Yeah, goodnight Shikamaru." I looked up into his eyes and smiled.

"Night Kristin." Shikamaru replied. He leaned down and kissed my forehead. With one last smile, he slid the door open and walked out, closing the door behind him.

I let out a heavy sigh and crawled back under the blankets, turning off the beside lamp and laying my head down. Tomorrow starts a month of training for me to possibly move up in the ninja ranks…can't wait.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Kristin**: Well time to hit the ground running. Training for the Final Competition, way harder than it sounds.

**Helena**: This month is gonna feel like an eternity.

**Kristin**: Next time: **Hitting the Grindstone: A Month of Training Begins! **Let's do this.


	41. Hitting the Grindstone

**Hitting the Grindstone! Training Begins.**

* * *

{Dream}

I lay in a field of multiple colored flowers swaying in the breeze. As the sun shines, I realize I'm laying on my back, in my family shrine, where every member of my clan is buried. My head is propped up a few inches off the ground and I can see the temple ahead of me, past the gravestones, that is where the clan's tapestry hangs above all the pictures of all past shinobi of the Hatake Clan, where my picture will reside one day.

A soft hand strokes my face, humming softly, a female voice. As she starts to sing, I remember the words. I heard them somewhere

"_What is here_

_Are the answers that you chose _

_To all your choices_

_No, be confident and go_

_Isn't it so natural?_

_Just like how the rain,_

_The rainbow seems to sit on the asphalt."_

It was the lullaby my mother used to sing to me when I was baby, she would sing while dad rocked me to sleep.

"_Lonely, because the wind blew,_

_Feeling, I realized_

_That even though the answer is nowhere._

_Call me, I already knew_

_With you, that love is _

_For each other."_

I tilted my head up and saw a face framed by hot pink bangs, and a lavender braid was draped over her shoulder. Her blue eyes looked down at me, shimmering. Her hand stroked my cheek.

"_For you,_

_Because you'll surely_

_Fly up to this sky_

_Even if you fall a few times._

_For you,_

_There's just one more thing_

_To keep on dreaming_

_Please don't close off your heart."_

I closed my eyes and listened to my mother's voice. I felt content in that time, the wind blew, gently swaying the wildflowers and grass that filled the Hatake Clan Shrine.

"Time to wake up…" my mother cooed, tapping my shoulder.

I stirred a little bit, not wanting to wake up just that second.

But I could feel myself slowly coming out of my dream…

{End dream}

* * *

I felt someone tapping my shoulder.

"C'mon Kristin, rise n shine." he said.

"Five more minutes…" I mumbled.

"We have to start training." he told me, rubbing my shoulder.

I rolled over and opened my eyes, to see Shikamaru sitting on the edge of the bed, looking over me.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Time to get up." Shikamaru said.

I turned my head towards the window, and barely saw any sun at all. "What time is it?" I asked, turning back to my friend.

"Five." Shikamaru answered, rubbing the back of his head.

I gaped, "No wonder you complain about what a drag everything is." I said, pulling the blankets back up to me, "You get up at the crack of dawn every day."

Shikamaru pulled the blankets off me, "So do you for your training." he reminded.

"Yeah." I agreed. "But we bring our sleeping bags to the training field, sleep until the sun comes up, eat, and then wait another hour before Kakashi-sensei shows up." I pulled the blankets back to me, and over my head.

"You'll miss breakfast." Shikamaru told me.

I pushed the blankets off my head and glared at him, "I'm not Choji, that's not gonna work on me."

He smiled and pulled the blankets off, "Get up and come on."

I groaned, "I'll get you back for this, I promise." I warned, sitting up. I stretched my arms and yawned.

Shikamaru patted my leg and got up, and I followed him out of the room and to the dining area for breakfast, which I could smell clear from the back.

* * *

Yoshi had used the leftover fish and made omelets, with cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes and peppers.

"Good morning you two." she greeted, smiling.

Shikamaru and I took our seats at the table, same places as last night, and Yoshi placed our breakfast in front of us. She poured me a small cup of coffee, added some cream and sugar, and placed it next to my plate.

"Thank you Mrs. Yoshi." I said, taking a sip of the warm drink.

"You're welcome sweetie." Yoshi replied, patting my shoulder.

* * *

After breakfast I went to the back room and changed out of my pajamas and into my day clothes. I brushed through my hair, which now had a wave to it since sleeping in the braid last night. I strapped my shuriken holster on my right leg, packed my ninja pouch and placed it on my right hip, and tied my hair into a ponytail, the tip reaching just below mid-neck.

There was a knock on the door, and Shikamaru walked in. "Thought you would want this back." he said, tossing my headband to me.

I caught it, "Thanks, I wondered where this went." I smiled and tied it around my waist.

"I picked it up after the Medical Corp. took you to the infirmary." Shikamaru told me, leaning against the door frame. "My mom washed the blood off last night."

I looked at myself in the mirror. "Awesome, now let's get to training." I spun on my heels and walked out, with Shikamaru on my heels.

"So where are we going anyway?" I asked Shikamaru as I slipped into my blue sandals.

"Down by the river, near the village gate." he answered, sliding his jacket on. "That's where Asuma-sensei told us to meet him."

"You sure Asuma won't mind if I train with you two?" I asked, looking at him.

Shikamaru strapped his sandals on, "Nah, he won't mind. In fact, I think he'll be almost be happy about it. It'll give him another reason to work me to death."

I rolled my eyes, "Okay Mr. Drama King." I chuckled.

"Okay kids, here's your lunch." Yoshi cut in, holding neatly wrapped boxes in green and pink clothes. She handed the green box to Shikamaru and the pink one to me, "Good luck with your training, see you both for dinner."

"Thanks mom." Shikamaru said, opening the front door.

"Thanks Yoshi." I added, following Shikamaru out the door.

* * *

We arrived at the river, where Asuma-sensei and, to my surprise, Konoha-sensei, were waiting for us.

"Konoha-sensei?" I questioned, walking up to her.

"Your father asked me if I could train you for the finals." she answered. "And I said I would, since I kinda miss it a little." she shrugged her shoulders.

"So Asuma, it's alright if Kristin trains with us?" Shikamaru asked.

Asuma lit a cigarette and placed it in his mouth, "Sure. It gives you someone to spar with who's on the same level as you."

"But, it's not gonna be much of a match, I mean we both know each other's techniques." I pointed out.

"Exactly." Konoha-sensei agreed. "What better way to think of new techniques than by sparring with someone who knows your every move."

"She has a point." I told Shikamaru, turning to look at him.

He shrugged his shoulders and reluctantly agreed. "So, where do we start?" he asked.

"The basics." Asuma-sensei answered. "Let's see how your taijutsu is. Go on, get in the sparring position."

Shikamaru and I looked at each other and sighed, standing opposite each other near the river's edge.

"How about we bet Asuma." Konoha-sensei voted, putting a cigarette in between her teeth and lighting it. "I bet on Kristin, you bet on Shikamaru, looser buys lunch for the four of us?"

Asuma chuckled, "You wanna bet with me sis? Really?" he questioned.

Konoha raised her eyebrows, "What's the matter big brother?" she asked. "Scared that my girl will win?"

"You're on sister." Asuma smirked.

The two shook hands, sealing the bet. Shikamaru and I rolled our eyes and took our stances.

"Begin." both Jōnin said in unison.

So Shikamaru and I spent a good half hour trading punches and kicks. It wasn't really much of a challenge since we both knew each other's moves and styles, plus we couldn't use our ninjutsu, so it wore us out.

* * *

The fight moved from land to the river, and it took every ounce of will power not to use my water style techniques.

"_Strike at his right." _Helena's voice echoed in my mind. _"You'll catch him off balance that way."_

Shikamaru went to punch me, and I blocked by grabbing his fist. I spun my left leg and kicked his right foot, and sure enough, he fell off balance. I released his fist and went in for my own attack, spinning on my heels and splashing up the water.

"Gotchya!" I giggled, kicking his feet out from under him. I whipped out a kunai and held it an inch or so above his neck.

"My girl wins." Konoha-sensei said, smiling and blowing a puff of smoke.

"Damn Kris." Shikamaru gasped, locking eyes with me.

"Guess I win." I chuckled, smiling.

"Can I get up now?" Shikamaru asked.

"Oh right, yeah." I replied, standing up and offering my hand.

Shikamaru gripped it and I helped him stand up. Of course now he was semi-soaked. "Nice break." he complimented.

"Thanks." I replied. "You favor your right when you go to attack, so if I aim for your right foot, I can break your balance." I added.

"Nice observation." Shikamaru took his jacket off and wrung it out, the excess water dripping back into the river.

"That was pretty smooth Kristin." Konoha-sensei complimented.

"Let's run the drill again." Asuma-sensei voted. He walked up next to Konoha-sensei and stood next to her, "Best two out of three." he whispered.

* * *

So we ran the same taijutsu drill for the next few hours, and by three we were exhausted.

"Okay, that's enough for today." Konoha-sensei said, noticing our fatigued state.

"We'll see the both of you tomorrow." Asuma-sensei added.

The two Jōnin walked away, leaving Shikamaru and I alone.

"Think I can pass out yet?" I asked, catching my breath.

"I think I just might." Shikamaru replied, leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree.

I walked over and sat next to him, "Is this the sort of training you go through with Choji and Ino?" I asked.

"Sort of." he answered. "Only I'm not this worn out afterwards."

I chuckled, leaning back. "Should I take that as a compliment?" I turned to look at him.

"If you want." he said, looking at me.

We ate the lunches Yoshi packed for us, enjoying the time to rest and relax, et our strength back. Of course we knew that once we got back to Shikamaru's place, we would start this all over the next day.

* * *

The days went by and soon, a few weeks have gone by. I learned to pack a bag with some sunscreen, since it was mid-summer, and a towel. I also wore my white bikini underneath my normal clothes, so I wouldn't be soaking wet when I went back to Shikamaru's place.

By now we were working on our speed and stamina levels, trying to increase our ability to stay in a fight longer.

"You are quick on your feet." Shikamaru complimented., stretching his shadow as thin as he could.

I smiled and continued to doge the shadow's range, which wasn't easy considering Shikamaru's eye for strategy and weak points. Not to mention I could only dodge so far in the shallow river.

I used my practice with the tree climbing to walk up the rocky cliffs above the river, to where the shadow could barely get me.

"Guess I win this round." I said, smiling.

Shikamaru retracted his shadow, "Don't get cocky just yet." he grinned at me, "It's not over yet."

"It soon will be." I told him. I positioned my hands to form the hand sign for 'Ram', forming the signs Ram-Dragon-Boar-Tiger-Rat, "Water Style: Striking Serpent!" I grabbed the small water stream and attacking Shikamaru with it.

He braced for the impact and held his arms up defensively. I jumped down and landed in the water, smiling. But as I stepped forward, I felt paralysis.

"Damn." I muttered.

Shikamaru and I walked towards each other, until we were a few inches apart. "Checkmate Kristin." he said, releasing the shadow and letting me go.

But it didn't take long for him to pin me down, a kunai to my neck.

"Okay so we're even now?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I guess." Shikamaru replied.

Our eyes met for a moment, and I felt my heart jump inside of my chest. And after a few awkward seconds, Shikamaru stood up and extended his hand to help me up.

I hear a rustling in the bushes a few feet away, followed by a weird chuckled.

"Hey Shikamaru, you by any chance have a paper bomb on ya?" I whispered.

"Uh yeah." he pulled one out and tied it to the hilt of a kunai knife. "Here."

"Thanks." I said, taking the kunai from him. I walked towards the bushes and tossed the kunai, setting off the paper bomb.

"Holy Hell." screamed someone, who jumped out of the bushes as soon as the bomb went off. "What the hell?" he asked.

I created a couple of water clones who attacked him. Then I trapped him in the Water Prison Technique. That's when I got a good look at the guy…the old pervert. He was relatively tall with waist length, spiky, white hair, tied in a low ponytail. He had red lines running underneath his eyes, a horned forehead protector with the kanji for 'Oil'. His outfit was a green, short shirt kimono and matching pants, covering what looked like mesh armor, a red haori with yellow circles on either side. He also wore hand guards and wooden sandals.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked, glaring at him.

"Whoa hold it!" someone else interjected.

I turned to the direction and saw Naruto jump through the bushes.

"Naruto?" I questioned.

"Kristin?" Naruto looked at me, fixated on my swimsuit.

I snapped my fingers, "Yo Naruto, my eyes are up here." I told him, pointing to my face.

"Oh, what the hell are you doing to my trainer?" he asked, looking at the old man in my water prison.

"Trainer? This perv?" I repeated, looking at the old man.

"Guess it's the hard way then." the old man sighed.

He grabbed my wrist and applied enough pressure to break my jutsu. Then he lifted me up by the wrist, looking at me with a giddy, perverted look. "Hello sweetie." he cooed.

I swung my feet at him and he dodged back, smiling. "Sorry cutie." he apologized. The old guy tossed me down into the water, and I nearly hit my head on a small rock. "Ouch." I recoiled, shaking it off.

"Really Pervy Sage?" Naruto grumbled. "Instead of focusing on training me, you're peeping on my teammate?"

"I told you not to call me Pervy Sage!" yelled the old man. "It's Jiariya! My name is Jiariya!"

"I could think of worse things to call ya than a perv!" Naruto rebuked.

Shikamaru and I just gaped at them arguing. We both thought the same thing, why was Naruto training with a perverted old man?

"Excuse me?" I questioned Naruto. "This is your trainer?"

"Yes, since Kakashi-sensei won't train me." Naruto grumbled.

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, he won't train me either." I said. "And the man practically raised me."

"Wait, you're Kakashi's daughter?" the man known as Jiariya asked me, stepping forward and pointing to me.

"Woah, hands off pervert." I warned, backing up. "What's it to ya?" I asked.

Jiariya looked me up and down one more time, his eyes fixating on my face. "Of course, you're the spitting image of your mother!"

"Excuse me?" I questioned.

"I was there when your parents got married." Jiariya answered. "Your mother was very beautiful, and you look just like her." he stepped closer. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thanks." I said.

"So anyway Kris, what are you doing out here?" Naruto asked.

"Shikamaru and I are training together." I answered him. "Since my dad is no where around, Shikamaru's letting me stay at his place, and Konoha-sensei is supervising my training." I elaborated.

"So where are they?" Naruto asked, looking around.

"They had something to do today and left us to train on our own." Shikamaru answered, stepping up next to me.

"Well, I'll let you get back to your training, Naruto." I said, turning to leave. "See ya at the Final Competition."

"Later Naruto." Shikamaru waved them off.

* * *

We ended training early that day and decided to chill out in the spot we shared. We laid back, sharing an order of Sweet Raspberry Dango, and watched the clouds.

"Don't you wish sometimes that life could be that easy?" Shikamaru asked, breathing a heavy sigh.

I turned to him and cracked a smile, "What brought that on?" I asked him.

He turned and faced me, "Just all this training, every day all day, it's such a drag." he looked back up at the sky.

I took a piece of dango and popped it in my mouth. "Well, I guess, but then…life wouldn't be exciting." I pointed out. "Life as a ninja keeps you on your toes." I smiled.

"But the training is such a pain sometimes." Shikamaru groaned, putting his hands behind his head.

I playfully kicked his leg, "Is there anything you don't complain about?" I asked him.

"Relaxing like this." he answered, sighing.

I looked up at the clouds, and closed my eyes.

"_Even though you were hurt,_

_You held back your tears and endured it._

_Since I came_

_To see you clearly_

_You don't have to tell me anything_

_I already know_

_That you always try hard."_

The next verse of the lullaby echoed in my mind. I opened my eyes and sighed. I shot up and sat on the edge of the bench.

"Shikamaru, will you do something with me?" I asked him.

"Like what?" he questioned, sitting up.

"Will you go to the flower shop with me?" I asked, looking at him. "And then to my mother's grave?"

"Of course I will." Shikamaru patted my leg and smiled. "C'mon."

I smiled and followed him.

* * *

The Yamanaka Flower shop wasn't crowded, surprisingly. The front door was open and the smell of fresh flowers filled the air.

"Hello welcome to Yamanaka Flowers, how can I help you?" Ino asked, her eyes closed and smiling.

When she opened her eyes, her expression changed, "Oh it's just you Shikamaru." she grumbled.

"Nice customer service Ino." I giggled, looking around.

"Oh hey Kristin. Glad to see you walking around alive." Ino chuckled, "What can I do for you?"

"Oh that's great, smile at her while you completely shrug your own teammate off, nice one Ino." Shikamaru complained.

"Yeah well I get enough of you as it is." Ino rebuked. She stepped out from behind the counter, "So how can I help you?"

I smiled, "Well can I have a small bouquet of flowers?" I asked her, a little uneasy.

"Sure, what for?" Ino asked, leaning against the counter.

"To place on my mother's grave." I answered, not meeting her gaze.

Ino's smile disappeared and she sighed, "Of course, I have the perfect idea. Give me a minute."

"Okay, thanks Ino." I said.

"No prob." Ino called from the back.

I looked around the flower shop, admiring all the different colors and flowers. _"Beautiful." _I sighed.

Ino came back a few minutes later, a small bouquet of red tulips, blue alstroemeria, all around two pink carnations.

"Here ya go, the perfect flowers for love and remembrance of your mother." she said. "And don't worry, it's on the house."

"Thanks Ino." I smiled at her.

"Have a nice day." Ino called, as Shikamaru and I walked out.

* * *

We fell in step together as we made our way to my family's shrine. It was a long walk, but worth it when I saw the concrete steps and the red and gold archway.

"I almost forgot how ancient it was." Shikamaru said, stopping in front of the stairs.

"Well, the shrine has been around since the First Hokage's rule." I reminded, dusting off the winged lion-dog statues that sat in front of both pillars of the shrine entrance.

I walked up the stairs and stopped when Shikamaru didn't follow. I turned to look at him, "You comin?" I asked.

"Nope, this is a sacred place to your clan, so it's only right you go in alone." he replied, taking only one step up, so I was looking down at him. "I'll be right out here." Shikamaru took my hand and held it, "Say hi to your mom for me." he leaned up and pecked my cheek.

I squeezed his hand and let go, entering the Hatake Shrine, clutching the bouquet tightly to my chest.

My mother's headstone stood tall, only an inch or two to the right of my grandfather's. I knelt down in the dirt and placed the bouquet in front of it.

"Hey mom…" I sighed, feeling tears fall down my cheeks. "So um, I'm training for the Chūnin Exam Finals, I can't believe how much time has passed. It seems like only yesterday I was in the Academy." I sniffled, taking a shaky breath.

A small breeze blew by me and I closed my eyes, feeling a sense of calmness wash over me. "I wish you were here to see how far I've come, that I've survived this long." I chuckled. "Kovu told us what happened, and I only wish I could've seen you one last time…" I trailed off because the tears spilled over.

I wrapped my arms around myself and cried, the pain of missing my mother striking me hard. I took a couple of shaky breaths to calm down.

"Runaway if you're lost

Try again many times.

Since it's possible to redo it many times,

I'm here next to you.

Believing don't be afraid

About trusting each other."

The lyrics of the lullaby came to mind and I sung in a low voice, and that helped me feel a little better.

"For you,

Because you'll surely

Fly up to this sky

Even if you get hurt a few times

For you

There's just one important thing,

To keep on dreaming

Please don't move your eyes away."

I ran my hand over my mother's name etched on the headstone. "I love you mom. I miss you." I stood up and brushed the dirt off of my skirt, sighing. I kissed my index and middle finger and placed them on the headstone. "Goodbye." I whispered.

Shikamaru took my hand and helped me down the stairs, "Feel better?" he asked, my hand still in his.

I looked at him and smiled, "A little bit." I answered, laying my head on his shoulder.

Shikamaru kissed the top of my head, "We had better be getting back before my mom rips us one."

I chuckled, "I guess so." my fingers interlocked themselves with Shikamaru's.

We walked back to his place, our fingers still interlocked.

* * *

"Thank you Shikamaru, that meant a lot to me." I told him as we walked the streets of the Nara stronghold.

"It's not a problem." Shikamaru smiled at me as he opened his front door, letting me slip in first.

Our fingers slipped apart as we stepped inside. The house was empty.

"Mom? Dad?" Shikamaru called, looking around the house.

I saw a piece of paper on the fridge and read over it. "Um Shikamaru…" I called to him.

He came back into the kitchen, "Yeah?" he asked.

I handed him the note, "Here, you're parents are on a date."

My friend scoffed, taking the note from me. After reading it over, he chuckled, "Wow." was all he said.

In the note, Yoshi said she had no problem with me cooking something for Shikamaru and I. I opened the fridge and looked around, "What would you like?" I asked him.

"Surprise me." Shikamaru answered, slipping his jacket off.

I smiled to myself and grabbed a bag of vegetables and a couple pieces of chicken. I pulled out a small bag of rice, one medium sized pan and a large pan.

"I'm gonna take a shower while you cook." Shikamaru said, walking down the hall.

I smiled and turned the stove on, opening the rice and vegetables and poured them into the large pan.

* * *

Whenever I cooked I found myself in a happy, and signing, mood. I guess that's the little bit of my mother in me, she always sung in the kitchen when she cooked. And I even remember one time her and my dad singing together when just shortly after Kallera was born.

"_I wonder if I can ever find a love like that." _I thought, mixing the rice and vegetables together.

"_If you continue on this road, then I'm sure love's closer than you think." _Helena chided in the back of my mind.

I tied Yoshi's apron around my neck and waist, smoothing it out. I smiled to myself and began slicing the chicken into relatively small cubes.

"In a path that leads everywhere,

There are lot's of things, right?

Now you bragger are making a tearful voice

I can hear through the phone handle.

Chasing dreams,

You've gotten up to here.

The things you came to forget

Are inside me, baby."

I splashed some olive oil on the bottom of the, now heated, medium pan and tossed in the cut chicken.

"When you cry, it's okay because

I'm beside you.

The nights we are separated, it's okay because

I'll also be by your side.

The sky we saw once,

Will it still be here?

I remember the dream we saw."

I smiled to myself and hummed a little bit, splashing some Teriyaki sauce over the chicken. I chopped up two cloves of garlic and tossed them into the chicken.

"Could it be that the non-stop rain

Is washing the sky?

I know the things you

Haven't yet surrendered to, baby."

I turned the second burner off and combined the chicken with the rice and vegetables. The mixed them together and added a splash of Soy Sauce and a dash of Cayenne Pepper, just for a little kick.

"When you cry, it's okay because

I'm beside you.

The nights we are separated, it's okay because

I'll also be by your side.

Because I'll be by your side…"

I hummed a few more bars and finished combining the three ingredients, turning the heat down to low. The rice was a decent brown and the chicken was cooked perfectly, a nice turnout.

"Something smells good." Shikamaru said, leaning against the wall. He wore black sweatpants and an off white muscle shirt with a green circle with a line running diagonal through it on the front center.

"Well, dinner's ready." I smiled at him and shut the stove off.

* * *

I plated the food and set the table, even going as far as pouring the drinks, which was sweet iced tea.

"Thanks Kris." Shikamaru said, sitting down.

I smiled at him and sat opposite him. I lifted my glass of iced tea, "Cheers to the Finals." I said.

"To the Finals." Shikamaru repeated, taking a sip of his drink.

We ate dinner in relative silence, and I could tell Shikamaru really enjoyed it, and that made me feel good.

Later that night, we sat together on the couch sipping some hot, herbal tea to relax before bed. It was nice and quiet, and I was enjoying it…because in the back of my mind, I felt something was going to happen, and I was scared.

"Well, I'm gonna go to bed." I told him, finishing my herbal tea.

"Goodnight Kristin." Shikamaru helped me off the couch and kissed my forehead.

I walked down the hallway and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out.

* * *

{Dream}

I felt the cool, night breeze blow through my fur. The night was cool, and the moon was full. The full moon gave me the power to walk free for only a few hours at the most, and as I overlooked the Hidden Leaf Village, I realized why she felt the way she did, why she wanted to walk the Shinobi path.

I heard soft footsteps on a nearby rooftop and I turned around to see Dosu Kinuta, one of the sound ninja, standing on the roof of Kikyo Castle, a famous castle in the Hidden Leaf. Sitting atop one of the large fish statues was Gaara, the Sand ninja that made my fur stand on end.

A growl rumbled low in my throat as I inched closer so I could hear what they were talking about. I hunched low on the ground and looked up at them, my ears perked as high as they could go.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" Dosu asked. "Don't you ever sleep?"

Gaara looked down at him, "What are you doing here? What do you want?" he asked.

"Well, I was planning on killing you while you slept." Dosu answered. "If I fight and kill you now, then in the next round I can fight the one I truly want to face, Sasuke Uchiha."

I heard that name and gasped, hunching lower to the ground.

"I already know about your sand attack." Dosu added. "Let's see which is faster, your sand or my sound." he lifted up his sleeve to reveal his gauntlet.

The wind blew again, setting off the wind chimes hanging from the castle roof. Gaara's eyes narrowed as he glared at Dosu.

The wind picked up speed, blowing past my fur and sending chills throughout my body. _"What is this feeling?" _I thought, my legs starting to shake. _"Why am I shaking?"_

My tail hung still behind me, and I dug my claws into the ground to avoid fainting.

I looked up at the roof and felt the presence of something else…something like me, only…it's chakra was more darker than my own.

Sand slowly escaped from the gourd on Gaara's back and it formed a giant claw. My eyes widened in shock and I watched as the claw's shadow covered Dosu, who stood frozen.

"What are you?" he asked.

The only answer he got was a wave of sand washing over him, and crushing him with such immense force that it broke a hole in the roof.

I backed away and saw Dosu's body fall to ground, and land with a 'thud'. I looked up and Gaara was breathing heavily as the sand receded back into his gourd.

"_Whatever he is, he's not human." _I gulped and backed away, receding back into the bushes.

A cold breeze blew by me one more time, and then, nothing…

{End Dream}

* * *

I shot up and screamed, trying to catch my breath. The bedroom door slid open and before I knew it, Shikamaru's arms were wrapped around my shaking body.

"Kris, what's wrong?" he asked, rubbing the back of my head.

I looked ahead and saw my refection in the wall mirror, and I saw Helena's wolf form staring back at me. Her ears were flat against her head and her tail hung still behind her. The look in her eyes was that of fright, and she never got scared.

I let out a shaky breath and laid my head on Shikamaru's shoulder, leaning into his arms.

"I'll get some tea for her." Yoshi whispered, her footsteps receding down the hallway.

Shikamaru rubbed my back, calming me down. "What happened?" he asked.

"Just a nightmare, that's it." I replied, exhaling a deep breath. "A nightmare." I repeated.

Shikamaru put his hand to my forehead, "Must've been a hell of a nightmare." he said, rubbing the side of my face, "You're sweating."

"I am?" I asked, touching my forehead. And sure enough, I felt a light mist of swat and a little bit of heat.

Yoshi returned with a small mug of tea and handed it to me. "Here sweetie, this should help."

"Thanks." I smiled and took the mug, taking a sip of the cool liquid.

Yoshi and Shikaku left, leaving only Shikamaru with me.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "You wanna talk about it?"

I took another sip of tea and placed it on the nightstand. "It felt all to real." I said, closing my eyes. "And if it was, I'm worried about the Final Competition."

Shikamaru rubbed my shoulder, "What did you see?" he asked.

I leaned into his arm, laying my head in the nape of his neck. "I honestly don't know how to describe it." I admitted, taking a shaky breath. "But whatever it was, he wasn't human. At least, not fully."

"You want me to stay to make sure you don't have another nightmare?" Shikamaru asked, rubbing my shoulder.

"Yeah." I answered, adjusting myself so I was a little closer to him.

His arm wrapped full around me and I felt safe in his embrace. He kissed the top of my forehead.

I closed my eyes and took a couple of deep, slow breaths. In a matter of minutes, I was asleep in the arms of my best friend, and I had no nightmares that night.

* * *

The next day marked the beginning of week three for training, meaning only two more weeks left until the Final Competition. I pushed the nightmare out of my mind and focused on my training, and nothing more.

Halfway through the week, Choji trained with us, offering a third party sparring match. Konoha and Asuma decided to have a little fun and have Choji work Shikamaru and me, literally to our breaking points where we had no chakra left by the afternoon. However, they would treat us to a barbeque lunch, only to work us to zero chakra by the end of the day.

As the days passed by and the Final Competition getting closer, my nerves got more and more jittery, and that made it hard for me to fall asleep at night.

"_Whatever's coming, it's coming soon, and it's nothing good." _I thought as I laid in bed.

"_But no matter what, we have to be ready for the worst case scenario." _Helena added.

Again, Hel and I were in complete agreement. The Final Competition was going to be the most difficult challenge I ever had to face since becoming a ninja thus far. But, I have to believe that, whatever may happen, I'm ready to face it.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Helena**: A presence haunts a place of healing. A demon long since known as put to rest, reveals itself in the form of its host. To kill in order to feel alive, that's his mentality. Next time: **Hospital Besieged: The Evil Hand Revealed**. Can they escape this demon? Or, will Death strike them down?


	42. Hospital Besieged

**Hospital Besieged: The Evil Hand Revealed.**

* * *

The time for training was getting down to the wire, with only three days left until the Final Competition, Shikamaru and I were pushing ourselves to the brink of exhaustion. And we were doing it all without Asuma or Konoha supervising us.

Two days flew by like a blink, so we were down to one day left. And there was one more thing I needed to take care of before the Final Competition, it was something I promised my dad that I would do.

"Hey Shikamaru." I said, wrapping bandages back around my legs. "Would you come to the hospital with me?"

"Why do you need to go to the hospital?" he asked, slipping his jacket on. "Is something bothering you?"

I shook my head. "No, it's not that, it's just…" I sighed. "I promised my dad I would go back for a small checkup, just to make sure I was fit and ready for the Final Competition."

Shikamaru smiled, "Then sure, I'll go with ya."

I smiled back, "Thanks, you're a real, true friend."

After we finished drying the water off our bodies, we made our way to the Leaf Hospital. On our way we picked up a fruit basket for Choji, who was admitted the previous day for a bad case of indigestion.

* * *

As we walked up to the front, I noticed a big footprint on the ground near the side of the hospital. Judging from how it looked, I would have to guess a giant frog or toad made it.

Shikamaru opened the door for me and I slipped inside. The hospital was quiet, strangely quiet. I signed in and a nurse led me and Shikamaru to a large room with multiple beds, separated by curtains.

"A doctor will be right in to see you." she said, smiling.

I removed the bandages around my stomach, and again noticed my demon mark was missing.

"Huh, weird." I said, touching the place where my mark normally was.

"What is?" Shikamaru asked, sitting on the edge of the hospital bed.

"My demon seal is normally on my hip, but now it's gone." I answered, faintly tracing it.

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders.

A few minutes later the doctor came in and reviewed my old chart from the last month, and noted that my injury was serious, and I was lucky I didn't die from it. But, after he conducted the second examination, he noted that there was no evidence that even suggested I was seriously injured, everything was normal and okay.

"So I'm safe to compete tomorrow?" I asked, wrapping a clean set of bandages around my torso.

"Yes, but still, don't overexert yourself." the doctor replied. "You're still very young, so I don't want to see you back here-"

He was cut off by the sound of snoring, very familiar snoring. "Um, who's over there?" I asked the doctor.

He flipped through the files he held, "Uh, a kid named Naruto Uzumaki."

"Naruto?" I repeated, looking at the curtained bed in front of me. "What's he in for?"

"Exhaustion and fatigue." the doctor answered. "He just showed up passed out on the ground next to the giant footprint in the front."

"How long as he been out?" Shikamaru asked.

"About three days, straight." answered the doctor.

"Can we stay with him?" I asked, looking back at the doc.

"I see no harm in it, but why?" the doctor looked at me, sort of confused.

"He's my teammate." I answered.

* * *

The doctor nodded and left the room, files in hand. Shikamaru and I walked across the room and saw Naruto laying in the hospital bed, snoring away.

"He always snores that loud?" Shikamaru asked, sitting on a nearby stool.

I nodded, sitting on the end of the bed. Shikamaru pulled out a Shogi board from under the hospital bed and set it up.

"How 'bout a quick game?" he asked. "Just until he wakes up."

I rolled my eyes, "With how I play, we could get through at least three or four games before Naruto wakes up."

Shikamaru set the board up and set the hourglass on the corner, "You can make the first move."

I shrugged my shoulders and moved my third to right tile up one square. Shikamaru mirrored my move and it was back to me. It took all of ten minutes before he checkmated me. It went that way for two more games.

* * *

Since Naruto was still snoring away, we decided to go ahead and start another game. The sand in the hourglass flowed slowly, and the only the sounds that filled the room were Naruto's snoring and the sound of Shogi tiles clinking on the board.

"Man, is he ever gonna wake up?" Shikamaru asked, looking over at a sleeping Naruto. "Maybe he croaked."

I rolled my eyes and moved a tile forward, "That's wishful thinking." I told him.

Shikamaru made another move and captured on of my tiles. I moved one of mine back and cracked my neck.

I felt a small wave of dizziness, but it disappeared as soon as it came. I shook it off and blinked a couple times.

"You okay?" Shikamaru asked, noticing my uneasy expression.

I nodded, "Yeah, I just feel a little strange, that's all." I answered, smiling.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and pondered my answer. Then, we both noticed something weird…the sand in the hourglass stopped.

"What's up with that?" Shikamaru asked.

"Hell if I know." I answered.

Naruto stirred in his sleep and opened his eyes. He let out a moan and looked at us.

"Hey there Naruto." I greeted.

"Where am I?" he asked, looking around. "What is this?"

"The hospital." Shikamaru answered. "The doctors said you've been out cold for three days straight."

"Three days?" Naruto repeated. Then his eyes got really big, "Three days straight!" he shot up out of bed and grabbed Shikamaru by the fabric of his mesh t-shirt. "When does the Final Competition start?" he asked.

"Uh, tomorrow." Shikamaru answered.

"Tomorrow!" Naruto yelled, letting go of Shikamaru's shirt. "I've gotta get ready! Where are my clothes?!"

He tore the bed apart looking for them, causing me to jump off the bed stand by the curtains.

"And Pervy Sage, where's Pervy Sage?" he ranted. "That old coot is supposed to be supervising my training!" Naruto continued his ranting.

Shikamaru put his hand to his forehead, "Oh man this kid gives me such a headache." he muttered. "I liked him better when he was in a coma."

"Amen to that." I agreed, covering my ear with the palm of my hand.

"Will you knock it off!" Shikamaru yelled at Naruto, who halted his movements. "Look, you don't want to start freaking out the day before a big competition." he advised. "Resting can be the best thing."

Naruto sat still on the bed.

"You okay?" I asked him.

I was answered by a growling stomach. Naruto turned his head to me, "Yeah, I'm really starving." he answered.

I let out a sigh, "That's all?"

Shikamaru put the fruit basket on the bed, "We have this." he said. "Kris and I got this for Choji, and the doctors told us he couldn't have it. But at least we can eat it."

"Choji's here too?" Naruto asked.

I held my hand up, "It's nothing bad, just a bad case of indigestion." I told him. "He ate one short rib too many."

Naruto laughed, "That's just like him."

Shikamaru tossed him an apple and handed one to me. Naruto almost took a bite out of his, then stopped.

"What is it now?" I asked him, holding the red fruit in my hand.

A grin crossed Naruto's face, "Let's eat it in front of Choji, it'll drive him crazy."

"Man that's mean." Shikamaru told him. "I like it."

I slapped his shoulder. "Really, you want to punish him even more?"

He took a bite out of another apple, "Partially."

"You're horrible." I told him, taking a bite of my apple.

"You're just now realizing this?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

I rolled my eyes and ignored his glare. I tried to hide the uneasiness I felt. The sand in the hourglass was still frozen, and I got this feeling that something was lurking in the hospital…something evil.

I took another bite of my apple, and felt the juice run down my lips and chin, the crunching of the bite echoed in my ears. Another wave of dizziness came over me and the room began to sway.

"Yo Kristin, you okay?" Naruto asked, his voice echoing.

Pretty soon I went from looking at Naruto and Shikamaru, to looking up at the ceiling of the hospital room.

"Kristin." Shikamaru knelt down beside me and helped lift me up. "What the hell was that?"

I blinked away the dizziness and shook my head, "I have no idea." I said, groggily. I slowly sat up, but leaned into Shikamaru for support. "I just feel…" I turned my head over my shoulder and looked at the doorway.

"You feel what?" Naruto prided, leaning over the end of the bed.

"Like something's in the hospital." I answered, trying to stand up. I nearly fell back again, but Shikamaru caught me.

"Easy there." he said, keeping his arms around my back.

I caught my breath and sighed. "Something's here…" repeated.

"_This place is way to quiet." _Helena whispered. _"And you're right, something is here." _

I looked over at the hourglass, sand still frozen.

"_You might want to head to Lee's room." _Helena warned. _"That's where I feel the chakra coming from."_

"Lee." I breathed.

"What about Bushy Brow?" Naruto questioned.

"I think he's in trouble." I answered.

I made my way to the door with the two boys behind me. As I got closer to Lee's hospital room, I felt the dark chakra grow stronger and stronger.

* * *

I opened the door and peeked inside…and saw Gaara standing next to Lee's bed, his hand over him and manipulating his sand as it wove over Lee.

The three of us snuck in and stayed near the back wall. Shikamaru carefully stretched his shadow and connected it with Gaara's, paralyzing him.

Naruto lunged forward and punched Gaara right in the face, making him stumble backwards.

I looked up and saw a crack in Gaara's face where Naruto punched him. Pieces of it fell and turned into small piles of sand.

"Okay, so what were you trying to pull?" Naruto asked, glaring at Gaara.

Both boys stood on either side of me, and all three of us glared at Gaara, who stared back at us, no sign of emotion on his face.

"Well, what were you trying to do?" Naruto repeated, clenching his fist.

Gaara still stared at us. "I was going to kill him." he answered, after a few seconds, no emotion in his voice.

"_What?" _I thought. _"He's not even phased by Shikamaru's jutsu."_

"You already beat him once in the competition, wasn't that enough for you?" Shikamaru asked, narrowing his eyes. "Do you have a personal grudge against him or something?"

"I have nothing against him." Gaara replied. "I feel nothing, I simply want to kill him, that's all."

"You're sick in the head!" Naruto yelled, pointing his finger at Gaara. "You're crazy!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, you think we're just gonna let you do what ya want?" Shikamaru added. "You sick, selfish, psycho."

"_I wouldn't taunt him if I were you." _Helena advised, her voice soft.

"If you three don't get out of my way, I'll have to kill you too." Gaara said, his voice flat and emotionless.

"Oh really?" Naruto challenged. "Let's see you try it!"

"Whoa, take it easy there Naruto." I told him, putting my hand on his arm. "You wanna get us killed?"

"Yeah, yeah, we watched your last match against Lee, we know you're tough." Shikamaru said, making me turn my attention to him. "But you know what, there are things you haven't even seen yet from Naruto, Kristin, and myself." he added. "And on top of that, it's three against one. So take my advice and go, quietly."

"_Your boyfriend has lost his mind." _Helena said.

I clenched my fist, _"Shikamaru is not my boyfriend! Man, you're like my sister." _I rebuked.

"_Well, formalities aside, he's lost it. You're teammate too." _Helena replied.

"I'll say it again, if you get in my way, I'll kill you." Gaara repeated, glaring at us.

"And I'll say it again, I wanna see you try it!" Naruto yelled.

Shikamaru held his hand out, "Whoa, we don't wanna go there." he warned. "This guy fights like he's mad, like he's a demon or something."

Naruto smirked, "He can act like a demon all he wants to, but I got the real thing inside of me."

"_He's not the only one." _Helena chided.

"And so does Kristin for that matter." Naruto added.

"Hey do not drag me into this." I told him, stepping closer to Shikamaru. "I, for one, value my life."

"Just leave this to me." Shikamaru told us.

I looked at him, "So says you, spouting all that shit about it being three against one."

He leaned in closer and whispered in my ear, "It's called bluffing, so go along with it."

"I don't think he's buying it." I whispered back.

"A demon huh?" Gaara repeated, closing his eyes.

"Huh?" Naruto and I questioned in unison.

"My demon is as real as yours are." Gaara added. He opened his eyes and locked gazes with us. "Before I was born, my father cast his ninjutsu on me, infusing my unborn self with a sand spirit." he said. "I took the life of a woman who gave birth to me. I was born a monster."

"_Sand spirit?" _I thought.

"_It couldn't be." _Helena gasped.

"It's name is Shukaku and it's the living incarnation of an old monk from the sand village who was sealed away in a jar of tea." Gaara informed.

I gulped.

"Yeah, some demonic jutsu." Shikamaru said. "But to use it on a baby, before it's even born? Man that's creepy."

I cast a sideways glance at Naruto, who had a shocked look on his face, that probably mirrored my own.

"_Shukaku, it can't be." _Helena whimpered.

I blinked and in a flash I saw her back into the recesses of my subconscious mind.

"_Is he…like me?" _I thought.

"Gee, he seems like a swell guy. Your dad must've loved you a lot." Shikamaru smirked.

"You speak of love. Don't measure me by your standards." Gaara replied. "Love, family. These words mean nothing to me. The only ties I have to my family, are the ones I want to wrap around their throats. They're only ties of hate."

The three of us gasped.

* * *

Gaara went on to tell us that even though he was pampered as the child of the Kazekage, since he became six years old, his father tried to have him killed.

"You just got through saying how your father pampered and protected you." Shikamaru reminded. "So which is it?"

A devilish smirk crossed Gaara's face, "Those who become too strong, soon become feared." he said, almost growling. "The jutsu that had been cast unbalanced something in my mind. I became a threat to the very village I was meant to save." he added. "I had failed at the one thing for which I was meant to do. So begged the question, what was left for me, why go on living?"

I gasped, and gulped. _"So, we are alike, kind of."_ I cast a glance at Shikamaru, then to Naruto, the latter who was as shocked as I was. _"All three of us, are the same."_

"I could never find the answer." Gaara admitted. "But in order to live, you need a purpose. To exist for no reason, is the same as being dead."

I gulped. _"So it is true, he is like us." _I glanced at Naruto again, and he was probably thinking the same thing I was.

My eyes wandered back to Shikamaru, who was wide eyed as well. _"He has no idea what this all means."_

I inched my hand closer to his, but halted when I heard Gaara say, to put it simply, "My reason for living was in the killing of others." he said. "It all became clear to me; I fight only for myself, I love only myself. As it was the death of my mother that gave me life, it's the killing of others that sustains it, making me almost happy to be alive."

I wanted to run out of that room as if I was running from Death himself, but I was frozen where I stood. The next thing Gaara said made me move the only thing I could, my arm. I gripped the thing closest to me, which was Shikamaru's hand.

"_Could I have been like that?" _I though, my legs shaking. _"If I didn't have a family and friends, could I have turned into a cold hearted killer like Gaara?" _

Shikamaru moved his hand and interlocked our fingers, squeezing my hand tightly. I glanced down at our fingers, and knew that it was having him in my life, along with Choji and Sasuke, and my family, that I was who I was.

"_I had my mother and father, who loved and protected me. My big brother who looked out for me. My little sister who looked up to me." _I thought, images of my parents and siblings coming to mind. _"And friends who were there for me, who I confided in when I needed someone. They encouraged me to do my very best, and believed in me when it seemed like no one else did." _Choji, Sasuke, and Shikamaru all came to mind, and I knew it was our bond of friendship that kept me from giving into the darkness of Helena.

My glance traveled up to Shikamaru, who was staring down Gaara, his hand gripping mine tightly.

"_And despite everything, he's always been there, no matter what." _I gently squeezed Shikamaru's hand. _"He's been the perfect best friend, the kind of friend I could turn to for anything."_

I started to feel at ease, but as soon as I locked eyes with Gaara again, I felt the fear return, and fearful reality that if my life was different, I could be just like him.

Naruto took a small step back, a look of utter fear on his face. I'm pretty sure I had a similar expression on my face.

* * *

Then, something else caught our attention. The sand around Gaara sprang up around him, and was swaying like a snake ready to attack. The look in Gaara's eyes said everything, he was ready to kill us.

I stepped back, tugging on Shikamaru's arm. "We have to leave, like right now." I whimpered.

But the sand was faster. It formed into three spears and came right at us. It was all happening so fast; one second I'm staring down the sand, the next thing I'm wrapped in Shikamaru's arms like he's shielding me, and the next Guy-sensei walked in, halting Gaara from his attack.

"Save it for tomorrow." he said, standing in the doorway. "That's when the Finals begin. You're just wasting it today."

Gaara's hands flew to the sides of his head and he gripped his hair, almost moaning. The sand around him moved back into the gourd and the cap screwed back in, sealing it.

"Those with demons should be aware, in a moment of weakness, the beast inside takes over." he moaned. "And they won't relinquish control so easily."

Naruto and I gasped in unison, and I clung to Shikamaru even tighter. His arms tightened around me and he glared at Gaara as he walked out.

Gaara stopped by the doorway, "All the same I will kill you." he warned. "I'll kill you all." and he walked out, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.

* * *

When it was clear he was gone, Guy-sensei turned to us, "Okay you three, go home and rest. The Final Competition is tomorrow, good luck to ya." he smiled and gave us a thumbs up.

"You just saved our lives Guy-sensei." I murmured.

"Don't mention it, get outta here and get some rest." Guy-sensei replied.

"Uh, sure." Shikamaru agreed. He gently tapped my hip and helped me out of the room.

* * *

I made about halfway down the hallway before I collapsed on my knees, sobbing.

"Hey, Kristin what's wrong?" Shikamaru asked me, kneeling down in front of me.

"I could've been just like that." I said, through ragged breaths.

"Like what? Gaara?" Shikamaru questioned.

I nodded, "If not for my family and you guys, then yes."

"No way in Hell would you be like that." Shikamaru said, placing his hands on my shoulders. "You're way too sweet a girl to be that cold." he put his thumb and index finger under my chin, lifting my face up to his. "What makes you think that?"

"Because we're the same; him and me." I answered, tears spilling down my cheeks. "Helena and Shukaku, they're both demon spirits, just from different lands. Both were sealed inside of us at birth."

"But you haven't killed anyone, well anyone who didn't deserve it." Shikamaru told me. "You're not like him, not at all."

"Because I was raised differently than him." I reminded. "I had a mother and father, and a brother and sister, and three best friends who encouraged me that I could do anything. I had you." I threw my arms around his neck and cried into his jacket, my shoulders heaving.

Shikamaru's arms wrapped around me and hugged me tightly. "And you'll always have me, no matter what." he whispered in my ear. "You told me once that how you control your powers is with an anchor right?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I remind myself of those I care for, but a memory can only go so far."

"Then, let it be more than a memory." Shikamaru advised. And after a few seconds he added, "Let me be your anchor."

I opened my eyes and gasped, pulling away so I could look into his eyes. "What?" I asked.

Shikamaru wiped a tear away from my cheek. "Let me be your anchor, if you ever feel like you'll loose control."

"Do you know what you're asking?" I asked him.

He nodded, "Yes, I'm volunteering to be the idiot who tries to control a so called 'untamable' wolf demon, should she take full control of my best friend." he said, with a small smile. "Kristin, I'll always be here for you, let me do this."

I smiled weakly and threw my arms around his neck, hugging him as tightly as I could. "Thank you." I cried.

"Anytime, I'll never leave you." Shikamaru ran his hand through my hair. "I'll always be here for you."

"You promise?" I asked, leaning into his shoulder.

"I promise." he replied, hugging me and kissing my forehead.

Shikamaru helped me to my feet and we walked out of the hospital. His arm was around my shoulder the entire walk to his house. We decided to rest a couple of hours, to try and forget about what just happened, then we would head to the festival that was a celebration of the Final Competition of the Chūnin Selection Examinations.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Helena**: 'Everyday, life is a mystery. Everyone must stand alone, and keep the faith. I hear you call my name, and it feels like home. Oh, everyday.' Words we can all live by?

**Kristin**: It's the day of the Final Competition, and I still have the same, uneasy feeling.

**Helena**: Next time: **The Final Rounds Begin!**

**Kristin**: I just hope we can survive them.


	43. The Final Rounds Begin!

**The Final Rounds Begin!**

**A/N: **Now the majority of this chapter comes from my own thoughts and my way of making it a bit more unique. I in no way own the Cannon characters from the _Naruto _anime series. I only own some OC's, others which belong to friends of mine who were kind enough to let me use them. So I hope you enjoy^^

* * *

I sat on the couch, wrapped in a sage green blanket, my mind on the events that unfolded at the hospital an hour ago.

* * *

{Flashback}

"My demon is as real as yours are." Gaara added. He opened his eyes and locked gazes with us. "Before I was born, my father cast his ninjutsu on me, infusing my unborn self with a sand spirit." he said. "I took the life of a woman who gave birth to me. I was born a monster."

"It's name is Shukaku and it's the living incarnation of an old monk from the sand village who was sealed away in a jar of tea." Gaara informed.

{End Flashback}

* * *

I gulped and hugged the blanket closer to me. Shikamaru came in with two glasses of hot tea, I could see the steam rising from the surface.

"This should help ya a little." he said, handing me one of the glasses.

"Thanks." I said, my voice low and a little shaky. I took the glass from him and took a small sip, and it did help, only a little.

"You're still freaked about what happened at the hospital." Shikamaru stated, sitting next to me.

"I just can't help but think that I could be that way too, if my life was different." I sighed, taking another sip of tea before setting it on a coaster on the end table.

Shikamaru set his glass on the table and leaned back, the upper part of his body now behind me. He wrapped his arms around my chest and pulled me back to him, and I relaxed into his embrace. I took my hands and held onto his forearms, caressing them with my thumbs.

"And, on top of that, I have this feeling that something is gonna happen tomorrow." I admitted, closing my eyes.

"Something like what?" Shikamaru asked, his chin resting on the top of my head.

"Something bad." I answered. I couldn't bring myself to tell him about what happened between my team and Orochimaru in the Forest of Death. But I knew that whatever bad thing I was feeling, it had something to do with why Orochimaru was even in the village in the first place.

I pulled my feet up behind me and shifted my weight, so my head now rested in the crook of Shikamaru's elbow. He shifted his arms to accommodate my new position, caressing my jaw line.

"Well, whatever happens tomorrow, I'll be right there with you." he told me, kissing my temple.

I smiled and held onto his arms. "I know." I replied.

We laid there for what seemed like an hour or two. But the time came for the festival to begin.

* * *

Shikamaru and I made our way to the Academy, which was where the meeting was supposed to take place. I felt a small nostalgic feeling at returning to the Academy, but it also made me smile.

"We were wondering when you two would show up." Kiba called.

"Like we would ever miss this." I called back, smiling.

Konoha-sensei stood at the front door of the Academy. "Now that everyone is here, we can get into costume. C'mon." she said, opening the door.

All the Rookies from my year, minus Sasuke, were there, as well as Neji and Tenten, and Konoha's three girls, Arée, Rose, and Shirayuki. Over the month, Konoha-sensei had told us about a group of young ninja from the hosting village traditionally performs a small show for the festival. Since out village was hosting the Chūnin Selection Exams this time, she pulled our old choir class together to perform.

"Now, not to put any pressure or anything on you guys, but the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire will be in the audience tonight and he just loves a good musical performance." Konoha-sensei informed us, before we split into gender groups to change. "So I want you all to put your best on that stage."

"No problem Konoha-sensei." Arée said, a smile on her face.

"Okay, now get changed." Konoha-sensei ordered.

So we split into two groups, gender based, and went into the bathrooms to change. For the girls, we wore short and simple, red dresses with black, strappy heels. The boys' attire was said to match ours, to make it look uniform.

* * *

After we changed, we went into another, larger classroom where makeup chairs were set up.

"This is so exciting." Shirayuki said, giggling. She sat in front of one of the vanity mirrors and applied some pale red eye shadow, while Tenten brushed through her hair and decorated with dark green barrettes.

Tenten let her hair down and had it braided for the show.

"You want me to do your hair Kristin?" Rose asked, walking up behind me.

"Sure thing Rose, thanks." I answered, smiling at her.

Rose picked up the brush and brushed through my duel-colored hair. While she did that, I applied the makeup, pale red eye shadow, ice pink lip gloss, and small amounts of black eye liner and mascara.

"Okay girls, it's almost Showtime." Konoha-sensei announced, knocking on the door.

"Oh, we're done Konoha-sensei." Ino told her, twirling in her dress.

Rose pulled my hair back and tied it with a deep green ribbon and patted my shoulders. I smiled and stood up and us girls walked out of the room and joined up with the boys, who wore black dress shirts, pants, and shoes, and red blazer jackets.

"Let's go out there and rock it!" Kiba encouraged.

"We're singing ballads Kiba, there's no 'rocking' those." Orchi huffed.

"Well, the closing number is a soft rock ballad." Shino corrected.

"That's my favorite number." Rose giggled, standing next to Shino.

"I think the first song is my favorite." Sakura sighed.

"Yeah, and Kristin's the lucky one who get's to sing it." Ino added, looking at me.

"I never volunteered to, you all voted." I reminded.

"Yeah, I say it was rigged." Shikamaru added, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Well, it's too late to switch vocalists now." Hinata pointed out.

"So you are just gonna have to sell the song." Naruto added.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. Shikamaru and I were singing lead on the first song, a duet ballad no less, and we both had solos in the second number, which was also the finale.

"Okay, now the arguing is done and over…" Konoha-sensei said, wearing a black blazer jacket and red dress, "Let's go to the stage, shall we."

She walked out of the Academy and we followed her.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set as people took their seats for the show. The boys were all on stage getting into set points while us girls hung back and waited for our cue.

"You nervous at all Kristin?" Sakura asked, placing her hand on my shoulder.

"A little bit." I answered, taking a deep breath.

"Don't be, you'll be great." Orchi encouraged.

"Yeah." agreed Hinata.

I smiled. "Thanks girls."

We all turned to the stage when Konoha-sensei took the microphone. "Good evening and welcome to the Chūnin Selection Exams Final Competition Festival, I'm the choir director of our village's Ninja Academy, Konoha Sarutobi." she announced. "And tonight, a group of fine ninja from that academy will put on a small show for you all. And a few of these fine genin are taking part in tomorrow's Final Competition. So, let the show begin." she smiled and walked off the stage.

I switched on the cordless microphone I held and, slowly walked up behind the audience, the other girls grouping behind me.

* * *

The piano introduction sounded the beginning of the song, and the spotlight shone on center stage, where Shikamaru was standing, cordless mic in hand.

"Once in a lifetime  
Means there's no second chance  
So I believe that you and me  
Should grab it while we can"

I took a deep breath and exhaled, bringing my mic up to my mouth. The spotlight made its way back towards me, lighting my pathway towards the stage.

"Make it last forever  
And never give it back"

"It's our turn and I'm loving' where we're at"

Shikamaru's line finished my own, and the next line we sang in unison.

"Because this moment's really all we have."

The spotlight enlarged and shone on both of us, even though we stood opposite each other, him on stage and me on the ground. Shikamaru began the chorus…

"Everyday  
Of our lives"

"Wanna find you there  
Wanna hold on tight"

The lines alternated back and forth between us, and at the end we sang in unison.

"Gonna run"

"While we're young  
And keep the faith"

"Everyday"

"From right now  
Gonna use our voices and scream out loud"

I walked the path ahead of me towards the stage, with the girls not far behind me. On my next line, I extended my hand up towards Shikamaru.

"Take my hand"

Shikamaru took my hand in his and grasped it gently. As he sang he helped me up the stairs and we looked into each other's eyes.

"Together we  
Will celebrate (celebrate)"

"Oh, everyday"

The music picked up beat and the girls and boys paired up and danced in time to the beat. Shikamaru and I danced around the stage, placing the cordless mics on the stands.

"They say that you should follow"

"And chase down what you dream"

"But if you get lost and lose yourself"

"What does it really mean?"

"Ohhh, no matter where we're going"

"Oooh, yeah  
It starts from where we are"

"There's more to life

When we listen to our hearts  
And because of you, I've got the strength to start  
Yeah, yeah, yeah!"

As the music picked up and everyone danced around the stage, the audience really seemed to get into the music and performance. They began clapping along to the beat, smiling.

"Everyday  
Of our lives  
Wanna find you there"

"Wanna hold on tight"

"Gonna run  
While we're young  
And keep the faith  
(Oh!) Everyday!"

"From right now"

"Gonna use our voices and scream out loud  
Take my hand"

Shikamaru twirled me around the stage as we danced together amongst the pairs of others. We went back to alternating lines and singing in unison…

"Together"

"We will celebrate"

"Oh, everyday!"

All dancing pairs stopped and we all turned to face the audience, each boy had his arms around his female partner's waist, not much movement was going on except twirling back and forth and the occasional dip.

"We're taking it back,  
We're doing it here  
Together!"

"It's better like that  
And stronger now  
Than ever!"

"We're not gonna lose…"

"'Cause we get to choose  
That's how it's gonna be!"

The beat slowed down to it's starting point, and with that, the dancing slowed as well. The boys slowly twirled us and as the beat returned to normal, held us close.

My eyes locked with Shikamaru's as he sang the next line…

"Everyday  
Of our lives"

"Wanna find you there  
Wanna hold on tight"

"Gonna run  
While we're young"

We smiled at each other as the beat picked up, and everyone was dancing around the stage.

"And keep the faith  
Keep the faith!"

The others echoed the lines that Shikamaru and I sung, and the audience was now really into the performance.

"Everyday!"

"Of our lives"

"Wanna find you there"

"Wanna hold on tight"

"Gonna run (gonna run!)"

"While we're young  
And keep the faith!"

"(Woah, yeah, yeah) Everyday (everyday)  
From right now (right now)  
Gonna use our voices and scream out loud"

"Take my hand (take my hand)  
Together we will"

"Celebrate  
Everyday!"

All of us lined up on the stage in a big group and sang everything in unison, with every harmonizing on certain lines. The audience clapped in time and cheered us on.

"Live everyday! (Oh-oh, everyday)  
Love everyday! (Woah, woah) (Oh, everyday)  
Live everyday! Now, now, everyday)  
Love everyday! (Oh, yeah, yeah)"  
"I say everyday! (Everyday!)"

"Everyday! (Everyday!)"

"Everyday! (Everyday!)"  
"Everyday! (Everyday!)"  
"Everyday! (Everyday!)  
Everyday!"  
"Everyday!"

On the last line of the song, Shikamaru and I looked into each other's eyes and sang in unison.

"Everyday…"

We all held hands and bowed as the audience clapped for us. In the midst of the applause, the stage lights dimmed, giving us some time to switch around and get into the next set for the finale number. We turned around so our backs faced the audience.

* * *

A soft beat played by a single guitar and drum started the song, followed by everyone else, minus me, vocalizing. I started the song…and as I sang I turned to the audience.

"Life is a mystery  
Everyone must stand alone  
I hear you call my name  
And it feels like home…"

A shaker played along with the drum and guitar, making the beat easier to hear. The drum beat picked up and the lights snapped on, revealing all of us facing the audience. Shikamaru joined me in the chorus, along with everyone else

"When you call my name, it's like a little prayer  
I'm down on my knees, I wanna take you there  
In the midnight hour, I can feel your power  
Just like a prayer, you know I'll take you there"

We all cut to vocalizing while Shikamaru sang the next line solo.

"I hear your voice  
It's like an angel sighing"

Shirayuki followed next…

"I have no choice, I hear your voice  
Feels like flying"

Orchi stepped up and sang her solo verse…

"I close my eyes  
Oh God I think I'm falling  
Out of the sky, I close my eyes  
Heaven help me"

All of us broke into the chorography for the chorus and sang in unison.

"When you call my name, it's like a little prayer  
I'm down on my knees, I wanna take you there  
In the midnight hour, I can feel your power  
Just like a prayer, you know I'll take you there"

Shikamaru and I turned to each other and walked towards one another, trading off every few lines.

"I'm like a child  
You whisper softly to me"

"You're in control, just like a child  
Now I'm dancing"

"It's like a dream  
No end and no beginning  
You're here with me, it's like a dream"

Then Orchi cut in with her solo, that totally fit her voice range to a tee.

"Let the choir sing,  
Oohhhhh"

Everyone sang together in unison as we danced in step to the music. The girls were in front while our dance partners stood behind us. As we danced and sang, the audience swayed along with us, and the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire seemed very into out chorography, and song choice.

"When you call my name  
It's like a little prayer  
I'm down on my knees  
I wanna take you there  
In the midnight hour  
I can feel your power  
Just like a prayer  
You know I'll take you there.  
When you call my name  
It's like a little prayer  
I'm down on my knees  
I wanna take you there  
In the midnight hour  
I can feel your power  
Just like a prayer  
You know I'll take you there  
Ohh, Ohhh  
Ohh, Ohhh"

Those of us who were taking part in the Final Competition stepped forward, and each of us had our own spotlight shine on us. Of course, we were one Leaf Rookie short, but it was his loss. As we sang lines in unison, everyone else vocalized in the background.

"Life is a mystery (Ohh, ohhh), everyone must stand alone (Ohh, ohhh)  
I hear you call my name, and it feels like home  
Just like a prayer (Ohh, ohhh), your voice can take me there (Ohh, ohhh)  
Just like a muse to me (Ohh, ohhh), you are a mystery (Ohh, ohhh)  
Just like a dream (Ohh, ohhh), you are not what you seem  
(Oh!) Just like a prayer.  
no choice your voice can take me there."

We all lined up on the edge of the stage, smiling at the audience. We danced all around and sang the rest of the song in unison, every so often a girl or two would harmonize and vocalize together, as we sang the chorus. Orchi and I were those who vocalized together.

"Just like a prayer, I'll take you there (I'll take you there!)  
It's like a dream to me (Ohh)  
Just like a prayer, I'll take you there (I'll take you there!)  
It's like a dream to me (Just like a dream to me)  
Just like a prayer, I'll take you there (Ohh!)  
It's like a dream to me (Like a dream, like a dream)  
Just like a prayer, I'll take you there (I'll take you there!)  
It's like a dream to me (Oohh, yeah!)"

Those of us who were taking part in the Finals sang the next lines in unison….

"Life is a mystery  
Everyone must stand alone  
I hear you call my name  
And it feels like home"

Everyone else joined in and we swayed back and forth, smiling.

"Just like a prayer, your voice can take me there  
Just like a muse to me, you are a mystery  
(Take you there, take you there!) Just like a dream, you are not what you seem  
Just like a prayer  
Just like a prayer  
Your voice can take me there"

I sang the next line solo and then Shikamaru joined me as we held the final note…with everyone else signing softer than us

"Just like a dream, you are not what you seem  
Just like a prayer"  
"No choice your voice can take me there!"

* * *

We ended the song by bowing and the stage lights cutting off. The audience erupted into a loud applause and jumped to their feet. Six overhead lights came on, shining on the six of us who were participating in the Final Competition. Neji stood on the end, Shino was next to him, Naruto was next, then Orchi, myself, and finally, Shikamaru was on the other end. We all linked hands and bowed to the audience.

"These six genin are the ones participating in tomorrows Final Competition!" Konoha-sensei announced, motioning to us. "I hope you all enjoyed the show and enjoy the rest of the festival."

As the applause died down, we all exited the stage.

"That was really fun." Hinata giggled.

"I'll say, I had a blast!" Ino agreed.

"We seriously need to do this more often." Orchi added.

"No arguments here." Tenten agreed, smiling.

"Amen to that." Sakura and I giggled in unison.

We grabbed the bags with our other clothes in them and disbanded, each of us going off to enjoy the festival.

* * *

"C'mon guys, let's get something to eat." Choji voted, heading towards the downtown part of the village. "I really worked up an appetite with all that dancing."

"No arguments there." Shikamaru said, taking off his blazer jacket and folding it over his arms.

"Okay it's unanimous." I said, throwing my arms up, "Let's eat."

Choji let out a yell of approval and darted down the village road, hitting every food stand in sight. As for me and Shikamaru, we just grabbed an order of fried chicken on a stick and that satisfied us.

* * *

As we walked down the road, the moon was shining in the sky and everyone around seemed to be having a good time. We came across the Barbeque place and as we peered in the doorway, we saw Shikaku at the bar with his two former teammates Inoichi Yamanaka and Choza Akimichi.

"I think your dad's drunk again." I whispered to Shikamaru.

"Great." he sighed sarcastically. "And babysitting him is gonna be such a pain."

I stifled a giggle. Shikamaru opened the door wider and stepped inside, "Wait out here while I try to deal with this."

"Sure thing." I smiled and leaned against the outer window of the restaurant. I could still here the conversations going on inside.

From the way Shikaku was stumbling on his words, he was defiantly drunk.

"Since ancient… times the Final Competition…has always been like a festival." Shikaku said, drinking after every phrase.

"I'm in that Final Competition tomorrow." Shikamaru informed. "I don't have time to baby-sit you."

"You're in it? Really?" Shikaku asked, a puzzled look on his face.

Shikamaru sighed, "What do you think I've been doing this past month with Kristin?" he mumbled, crossing his arms.

Shikaku took another drink of Sake and sighed. "I don't know." he answered. "I just thought you two were dating that's all."

I gasped and leaned against the side of the restaurant, shocked.

"_Told you so." _Helena chided.

"_Oh shut up." _I rebuked.

"C'mon Kris, let's go." Shikamaru told me, walking out of the joint. "He's my mom's problem now."

I chuckled and caught up with him. The two of us caught up with Choji, who had two orders of everything from every food stand on the road.

* * *

"C'mon guys, the Fireworks are gonna start soon." Choji told us, gulping down his food.

"There's a good spot." I said, pointing to a small patch of empty field. I small breeze blew by and I shivered.

"I agree, let's sit there." Shikamaru said, putting his jacket around my shoulders. "Here."

I clutched the jacket collar, "Thanks." I smiled at him.

The three of us sat on the blanket Choji had packed and we waited for the fireworks. Choji was pigging out on the many food items he had purchased.

"Before they start, I'm gonna get some drinks." Shikamaru said, standing up.

"Hurry back." I told him.

Five minutes later he returned with our drinks, a all-mixed fruit smoothie for Choji, a coconut-mango smoothie for me, and an apple-banana smoothie for himself.

"Thanks Shikamaru." I said, taking my smoothie from him.

"No problem." he replied, reclaiming his seat next to me.

A few minutes later, fireworks began illuminating the sky above. Many different colors joined together in different formations.

"Wow, that's so cool." Choji gaped, his mouth full of fried squid.

I took another sip of my smoothie and smiled.

"To the Final Competition." Shikamaru said to me, holding his smoothie cup.

"To the Final Competition." I repeated, clinking our cups together.

I turned my attention back to the fireworks. I leaned back into Shikamaru's shoulder, smiling. His arm draped over my shoulder and stayed there until the fireworks were over with.

"Well see you guys tomorrow." Choji said, stuffing his blanket back into his bag.

"See ya." Shikamaru and I waved goodbye to our friend and headed back to his place.

The walk was fair and as soon as we got to Shikamaru's house, the two of us said goodnight and went to bed.

* * *

I slept soundly that night and was awoken by the sunlight pouring in through the window. I jumped out of bed and changed into my normal clothes. I strapped on my shuriken holster and my, fully stocked, ninja pouch. After one final glance over in the mirror, I walked out of the room and into the dining area, where breakfast awaited me.

"You ready for the Finals Kristin?" Yoshi asked, a smile on her face.

"Yeah, I'm ready." I answered, returning her smile.

"Well I wish you the best of luck." Yoshi patted my shoulder and exited the dining area.

Shikamaru and I ate our breakfast and left the house.

* * *

"I have an idea on how to get the a little quicker." Shikamaru told me, once we were outside his house.

"What kind of idea?" I asked.

Shikamaru smiled and put his thumb and index finger to his lips and whistled. Out of the bushes nearby, a large buck with dark brown fur and fully developed antlers stepped out. His eyes met ours for a brief second before he lowered his head, bowing.

Shikamaru nudged my shoulder. I turned to him and he returned the buck's bow, and I did the same.

"A deer? That's your idea." I questioned.

The buck walked towards us, and stopped. Shikamaru walked up to him and patted it's neck, "Kristin, meet Raikoumaru." he introduced.

I slowly extended my hand and petted Raikoumaru's snout. He closed his eyes, seemingly content with the gesture.

"Raikoumaru is the lead buck of my clan's deer heard." Shikamaru informed, stroking the deer. "He's really sweet and very fast. He could get us to the ring in no time at all, saves us the trouble of walking there." Shikamaru jumped onto the buck's back, gripping onto his neck. He looked down at me, "C'mon Kris, I'll help ya."

Shikamaru lowered his hand, offering it to me. I glanced at the deer, who's brown eyes showed kindness. I smiled and took Shikamaru's extended hand.

He pulled me onto the deer's back and I laced my arms around his waist. Shikamaru tapped the deer's ribs with the heels of his feet, "Let's go boy."

* * *

And with that, Raikoumaru ran down the roads of the village towards the Final Competition arena. In a matter of ten minutes or so, we arrived, nearly running over Neji and Shino in the process.

"Watch it." Shino snapped.

"Sorry about that." I apologized, jumping off Raikoumaru's back.

"That's an interesting way to arrive here." Neji pointed out.

Shikamaru dismounted the deer. "It saved us the trouble of walking." he said, standing next to me. He looked at the deer, "Thanks boy, go on."

Raikoumaru bowed his head again and ran off into the woods. The four of us walked into the arena where the three Sand ninja and Orchi awaited us. We walked forward and stood in line, looking out at the crowded stands.

"It seems we're missing some people." Orchi noted.

"Yeah, and both of them happen to be my teammates." I sighed. _"Great, this is starting things off real nice." _I thought.

* * *

Naruto barely made it to the arena, sliding through the doorway and landing at Shikamaru's feet.

"_He sure knows how to make an entrance." _I thought, sighing.

"_The big idiot." _Helena added.

Shikamaru helped Naruto to his feet. "Nice entrance." he muttered.

Naruto groaned a few times then jumped back, "Guys, you won't believe this but, there's a huge crowd of stampeding bulls heading this way." he warned.

"Yeah, you're right." I agreed. "We don't believe it."

Naruto looked around, specifically at us ninja standing in the middle of the arena. "Hey wait, I don't see Sasuke." he pointed out.

"I'm fighting Dosu, but he's missing too." Shikamaru added.

"_Yeah, because Gaara killed him a few weeks ago." _Helena reminded. I shuddered at the memory.

"Knock it off you two." the Jonin proctor ordered. "Stand up straight and present yourself proudly to the spectators."

Naruto gasped as he noticed the crowd of people in the stands. "Wow." he gasped.

"You all are the heroes of this Final Competition." said the proctor, named Genma Shiranui.

I looked out to the crowd and sighed…let the Final Competition begin.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Kristin**: Okay so Naruto's match is up first, and his opponent is the number one Rookie from last year, Neji Hyūga.

**Shikamaru**: This match is gonna be interesting.

**Orchi**: Yeah, especially with Neji's Byakugan.

**Kristin**: I believe in you…Naruto. Next time: **A Genius vs. A Looser: True Power Unveiled!**

**Naruto**: Believe it! I'm gonna win no matter what!

* * *

**A/N: **Well, I hope ya'll enjoyed it. As the story goes on, it's gonna differ from the anime in more ways, and some chapters might include musical numbers such like this one did. And for those of you who might not know, the two songs were 'Everyday' from High School Musical 2, and 'Like A Prayer' (Glee Cast Version). Review please^^

XOXO~Cyber


	44. True Power Unveiled!

**A Genius vs. A Looser: True Power Unveiled!**

* * *

Naruto barely made it to the arena, sliding through the doorway and landing at Shikamaru's feet.

"_He sure knows how to make an entrance." _I thought, sighing.

"_The big idiot." _Helena added.

Shikamaru helped Naruto to his feet. "Nice entrance." he muttered.

Naruto looked around, specifically at us ninja standing in the middle of the arena. "Hey wait, I don't see Sasuke." he pointed out.

"I'm fighting Dosu, but he's missing too." Shikamaru added.

"_Yeah, because Gaara killed him a few weeks ago." _Helena reminded. I shuddered at the memory.

"Knock it off you two." the Jonin proctor ordered. "Stand up straight and present yourself proudly to the spectators."

Naruto gasped as he noticed the crowd of people in the stands. "Wow." he gasped.

"You all are the heroes of this Final Competition." said the proctor, named Genma Shiranui.

I looked out to the crowd and sighed…let the Final Competition begin.

* * *

I looked up above the stands and saw Lord Hokage sitting in his chair, smiling at all the Leaf genin that made it to the Final Competition. Approaching him was the Kazekage, the leader of the Hidden Sand Village. The two seemed to be talking, probably about the fact that out of all the genin that started the exams, only members from the Leaf and Sand made it this far. Then, Lord Hokage rose and walked to the railing, taking a deep breath.

"Welcome all!" he greeted to everyone, in a booming, authoritive voice. "And thank you for traveling this far to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, for this year's Chūnin Selection Examinations." he added. "I would like to congratulate the ten candidates who made it past the Preliminaries. I ask that no one leaves until the Final Rounds are over, but until then, enjoy!"

The crowd erupted into applause and whistles.

"That's a way to get things rolling." Orchi giggled, smiling.

"If you say so." I agreed, looking out into the crowd.

I spotted Sakura in the stands, she was sitting with Kovu and Ino, and she gave me a reassuring smile. A couple rows over, Konoha-sensei was sitting with her brother, Asuma-sensei, and Kurenai-sensei. Satsuki-sensei was sitting a few rows behind them, with Sakoku and Ichiro on either side of her. I basically saw everyone except the one person I wanted there more than anything…my father.

* * *

Genma turned to face us. "Oh, and there's one more thing before we get started." he told us, pulling out a piece of paper. On it was a bracket-style set list of everyone's names divided up in pairs, saying who was fighting who. "There has been a slight change in the match-ups." Genma added.

According to the list, the first match was Naruto vs. Neji, then Gaara vs. Sasuke, Kankurō vs. Shino, Orchi vs. me, and finally Temari vs. Shikamaru.

"_So, guess Dosu really did bite it after all." _Helena deducted.

I gulped and cast a small glance at Gaara, _"And that doesn't make me feel any better." _I thought. A part of me was happy that Shikamaru didn't have to go up against Dosu, but that still doesn't mean Temari wasn't gonna be a tough opponent either.

Naruto raised his hand, "Uh question. What will happen to Sasuke if he doesn't show up?" he asked.

"If a candidate is not in the arena at the time his or her name is called, he or she forfeit's the match." Genma answered.

I sighed, _"Well that's great, considering how his is the second match." _I thought. I cast another glance at Gaara, _"No way! He couldn't have killed him already? Could he?" _I mentally asked.

Gaara was all kinds of scary, I knew that fact first hand. But was he really crazy enough to kill Sasuke before the Final Rounds even begun? That was question I was afraid to know the answer to. I gulped.

Genma cleared his throat. "Alright, the terrain may be different but the rules are the same as they were during the Preliminaries." he informed. "The first match-up is Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyūga. Those two can stay, the rest of you, head to the waiting area and enjoy the competition. That is, until your turns come up."

The rest of us walked up the stairs to the waiting area.

* * *

"Think Naruto can win this?" Orchi asked me.

I cast a look over my shoulder and smiled, "All I can say is we're in for an interesting match." I answered her. _"Good luck, you hopeless knucklehead." _I mentally cheered.

From where we were, it was the perfect view of the arena. I leaned against the railing, crossing my arms. The three Suna genin stood in the far right corner far from us. Orchi stood close to me on my right side, Shikamaru was at my left and Shino was next to him.

"So, thoughts Kris?" Shikamaru asked.

"I don't know." I answered honestly. "I guess I'm anxious to see what Naruto learned during his training."

"Besides how to peep at girls in bikinis?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to me.

I rolled my eyes, "He may be an idiot, but when it comes to fights, he's the most gusty person I know." I took a deep breath. _"Go for it Naruto, show us what you've learned."_

* * *

Naruto and Neji stood opposite each other.

Naruto held his fist out towards Neji. "I vow to win!" he declared.

After a few minutes of both boys staring at each other, Genma declared the first match to begin.

* * *

From where I was standing, it seemed like, to me, that Neji was studying Naruto, carefully observing him before making his move. As I looked closer, I saw that the veins around his eyes bulged just a bit, meaning he activated his kekkei genkai.

"So it is true." I muttered. "This is the first time I've ever seen the Byakugan."

"Seriously?" Orchi asked, shocked.

"Yeah remember, she passed out after her match." Shikamaru reminded. "She didn't get to see Neji's match against Hinata during the Preliminaries."

I sighed, "No but I heard that Hinata was seriously injured during that match." I told them.

"That would be an understatement." Orchi corrected.

"That means Naruto's gonna have to work hard to beat this guy." I said. "And, I believe he can." and that was the honest truth, I had this feeling that this match was gonna be a good one, and we would be shocked by the outcome.

* * *

The match started off with Naruto charging in against Neji, firing off a couple of taijutsu rounds. And it was then I knew why Neji was the number one Rookie of last year, he blocked every single one of Naruto's assaults.

* * *

"He's aggressive, I'll give him that much." Orchi pointed out, leaning into the railing.

I cracked a smile. "Yeah, but he never gives up." I told her. I leaned off the railing and chuckled, "I can't believe I'm about to say this but…Get him Naruto!" I yelled.

He looked up at me and gave me a thumbs up, smiling. I returned it and winked, giggling.

* * *

Naruto then focused his attention back at Neji, who made a comment that Naruto didn't stand a chance at beating him.

"We'll just see about that." Naruto replied, making a sign I knew all to well from being his teammate all this time. Naruto created four Shadow Clones of himself and they each held a kunai knife, ready to begin the real fight.

* * *

"_That's using your head Naruto." _I thought, smiling. "The 'Shadow Clone Jutsu', Naruto's signature move." I said aloud, leaning against the railing with my hand under my chin.

But, even with four clones, Neji's moves were still flawless as he fended off each one. I was amazed at how good he was, being just a year older than me.

"He must have eyes in the back of his head or something." Orchi murmured, biting her thumb nail.

"I agree with you there." I told her, shocked myself.

"It must be that Byakugan of his." Shikamaru deducted. "So the rumors are true. It is stronger than the Sharingan."

Orchi and I looked at him. "Just what are you saying Shikamaru?" I asked him.

He looked at me, "I'm saying that Naruto's got his work cut out for him." he answered. "It'll be a miracle if he wins." Shikamaru smirked. "But then again, he did beat Kiba so, he might have a shot."

"A small one." Orchi added, looking back at the field. "Kiba's just an amateur compared to Neji."

"Don't count him out just yet you guys." I cut in. "Sure, Naruto's an idiot, that much I know all to well." I told them. "But, when he puts his mind to something, he doesn't stop until he's achieved what he said he would. So if he says he's gonna win, then this match won't be over until he dose."

"So you're actually rooting for him?" Shikamaru asked me. "I thought you hated him."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Well, since being on Squad Seven with him," I closed my eyes. "I found out that first impressions can be wrong sometimes." I opened my eyes and smiled. "What can I say? He's grown on me, the little idiot." I chuckled.

"Whatever you say Kristin." Shikamaru leaned against the railing and we all continued to watch the match.

* * *

If I focused my senses hard enough, I could pickup the conversation between Neji and Naruto.

"You think you can be Hokage?" Neji asked, smirking. "What a joke. People just don't become Hokage simply by trying to become it, they were born, destined to be Hokage."

Naruto gritted his teeth, clenched his fist, and glared at Neji. "Yeah, well maybe that's what you think." he rebuked, holding out his fist. "People are always telling me I just don't know when to give up. Because I never give up until I've achieved what I said I will achieve." he formed the same hand sign, this time creating a dozen or more Shadow Clones.

"_This match just got interesting." _Helena chuckled. _"Think he can pull it off? Winning?"_

I chuckled lightly. _"I know he can."_ I replied.

* * *

Naruto's multiple clones charged towards Neji. To anyone else's eyes, it may look like Naruto had the advantage, but from what I've seen from Neji so far, I knew it wouldn't be that easy to defeat him.

Neji blocked every single attack Naruto and his clones threw, and he did it flawlessly. He then noticed the only Naruto that was holding back from attacking, and charged for it, knowing he was real Naruto. With one punch, Neji struck Naruto in the chest.

* * *

"No way." I gasped.

"It's over now." Orchi muttered.

But both of us were wrong. It was a Shadow Clone that Neji had hit. Two more Narutos, one being the real one, charged in for a head on attack.

"Way to go Naruto!" I cheered. "Flatten that guy!"

When Naruto threw his punch, it was somehow repelled. Then, in the blink of an eye, he spun around wildly, throwing Naruto a foot or two away from him.

Orchi blinked. "What the hell just happened?" she asked, gaping.

I leaned off the railing, "I'm wondering the same thing." I said, biting my lip. "This Neji guy is really good."

"Naruto defiantly has his work cut out for him." Shikamaru added. "I've never seen a jutsu like that before."

"That's because it's a technique known only to the Hyūga clan." Shino informed.

The three of us looked over at him, a look of confusion plastered on our faces.

"It's called the 'Eight-Trigrams Palm Rotation', and it's a technique known only to the Main Branch of the Hyūga household." Shino went on.

"And you know this how exactly?" Orchi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I'm on a team with a member of the Hyūga's main branch." Shino answered, coldly. "Hinata mentioned it one time."

"But I thought Neji was from a lesser branch of the Hyūga Clan?" Shikamaru questioned, looking over at Shino. "At least, that's what Guy and Kakashi said."

Shino nodded. "That's true. Neji isn't from the Main House, unlike Hinata."

"So how could he know that technique?" I asked Shino.

He shrugged his shoulders, "That I don't know."

We all sighed and diverted our attention back to the match. Neji was good, that much I could tell, but I knew Naruto was better.

* * *

Then, Neji took a stance that I've never seen before. He had his body lowered and his arms diagonally away from his body. With a sudden step, and lunged forward and began striking at Naruto at various points on his body. The last strike was intense that is sent Naruto flying and he fell to the ground, coughing up blood.

* * *

I put my hand to my mouth to stifle a gasp. "Naruto." I mumbled.

"That's it, it's over." Orchi muttered. "He hit all sixty-four of Naruto's chakra points, I'm surprised he's still breathing."

That was true, Naruto was struggling to stand up and blood trickled from his mouth.

I clasped my hands together, "Come on Naruto, get up." I whispered.  
"Get up." I closed my eyes.

When I heard everyone gasp, that's when I opened my eyes and saw Naruto standing, a smile on his face.

* * *

"I told you, I just don't know when to give up." Naruto chuckled.

Neji glared at him in response. "Look, I have nothing against you personally." he said.

"Oh really?" Naruto questioned. "Because I have plenty against you, for what you did to Hinata. Tearing her down when she worked so hard to get here."

* * *

I raised an eyebrow, "What is he talking about?" I asked, looking at Orchi and Shikamaru.

"The Preliminaries, when Neji fought against Hinata." Shikamaru answered. "He talked down to her, freaking her out a little. Then, when she tried to fight back, it almost looked like he was trying to kill her."

I gasped, "But why?" I asked.

"Because she's part of the Main Household, while Neji is from the Branch Household." Orchi answered me, leaning on the railing.

I scoffed, "That's so wrong on so many levels."

"You're telling me." Orchi agreed.

"It was after that fight that Naruto made the promise to defeat Neji." Shikamaru told me.

I looked up at him and nodded. "Then, this match isn't gonna be over until Naruto wins." I admitted. "That's something I know."

"That, or it'll end when Neji kills him." Orchi threw out.

I elbowed her in the side, looking at her. "Take it from me, girl, Naruto doesn't die that easily." I told her. "That little idiot will surprise you."

"Whatever you say Kris." Shikamaru told me, placing his hand on my shoulder. "You know him a little better than we do."

"Sadly." I muttered, smiling.

* * *

Taking a break from the fighting, Neji explained to Naruto exactly why he despised the Main branch of the Hyūga family. His father and Hinata's father were twin brothers, yet Hinata's father, Lord Hiashi Hyūga, was the firstborn and therefore he was made head of the Hyūga Clan, while Hizashi, Neji's father, was banished to the Branch family, and was, according to Neji, "made a bird in a cage".

Neji then went on to explain the purpose of the Branch family was to keep the secret of their kekkei genkai, the Byakugan, sealed away with the curse mark jutsu, which was branded on the forehead of each member of the Branch family. Neji removed his headband and revealed the curse mark on his forehead, an X with two lines on either side of it. According to Neji, it's a symbol of a bird locked in a cage, which is what every branch family member was. They were only destined to serve the main household and nothing more.

* * *

"That's pretty messed up." Orchi muttered, shaking her head.

"I know, it sounds so awful." I agreed.

"I guess, that's just the way of the Hyūga." Shikamaru sighed. "It's a drag but, who are we to question practices of another clan?"

"So if your own uncle were to brand you with a mark to control your techniques, you wouldn't be bitter?" Orchi asked him, her eyes narrowing.

I sighed, "Technically that wouldn't happen because Shikaku is the head of the clan." I told Orchi. "So, Shikamaru is next in line after his dad passes."

Orchi blinked, "Oh. Well, same difference." she went back to watching the match.

"But seriously, we're not in any place to question the Hyūga clan." Shikamaru continued. "Sure it sucks, but what can we do?'

I sighed. "I still say it's awful." I repeated. "No one deserves to be branded like that, especially as a child."

Shikamaru placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed it gently. I looked up at him and smiled before turning my own attention back to the match.

* * *

Neji then went on to tell Naruto the true reason he despised the Main Branch of the Hyūga clan. Hiashi and the rest were responsible for the death of his father, Hizashi Hyūga.

Apparently, around the time this all happened, the Leaf village was going through a treaty signing with the Hidden Cloud village, Kumogakure. One night, someone had snuck into the Main Household and abducted Hinata, but Hiashi killed the kidnapper and it was revealed to be the head Kumo-nin. The Hidden Cloud said they knew nothing of the attempted kidnapping and were only upset about the head ninja's death, so they demanded the killer's body in recompense.

"And so, to avert a war, a man was killed." Neji said, gripping his headband. "But not Hiashi. Instead my father was killed in his place, in order to protect the main household." Neji looked down at his headband, a mix of anger and sadness welling in his eyes, "They were both alike, twin brothers." he went on. "But their destinies were determined long ago, when one was born just a few seconds after the other." Neji locked eyes with Naruto, "And this match is exactly the same. Your destiny was set the minute I was chosen to be your opponent."

* * *

After hearing that story, now I understood why Neji acted the way he did. I didn't say this out loud, but the Hyūga's way was so messed up. It made me grateful that I wasn't born into a clan like that, and in a way, I was sympathetic towards Neji all at the same time. But, if anyone could show Neji that your destiny can be changed, it was Naruto. So I believed now more than before, that Naruto had what it took to win this match.

* * *

"From the moment this match was decided, it became your destiny to loose to me." Neji told Naruto, a smirk crossing his face.

"Oh yeah?" Naruto questioned, breathing heavily. "Well we won't know that until you beat me." he struggled to stand up.

Neji scoffed and tied his headband back around his forehead. He then activated his Byakugan and struck Naruto in the chest with his palm, sending Naruto skidding across the ground.

"It's over." Neji declared, turning away from Naruto. "You're nothing but a failure." he added, glaring at Naruto.

* * *

I shook my head and sighed.

"That idiot really doesn't know how to give up." Orchi muttered. "If he goes on like this, it'll kill him."

I chuckled. "He has a one track mind, that knuckleheaded teammate of mine." I said aloud.

"One track mind?" Orchi repeated.

I looked at her and smiled. "Yeah, everything he does, it's just another step towards his ultimate dream."

"Which would be?" Shikamaru asked, raising an eyebrow.

I closed my eyes and smiled, remembering back to when we were first assigned our squads.

* * *

{Flashback}

Naruto smiled. "Believe it, my name's Naruto Uzumaki. And my future dream is to be the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody. Somebody important!"

{End Flashback}

* * *

"To be Hokage someday." I answered. "That's his dream. It's always 'Hokage this, and Hokage that'." I added, chuckling.

"Why does he want to be Hokage anyway?" Orchi asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know the whole reason really." I answered. "Just from what he told us, he wants people to notice him more and…respect him I guess."

I looked down at him laying in the dirt, wondering just what was going through that thick head of his. _"Come on Naruto, get on your feet and show us what you're really made of." _I mentally cheered, gripping the iron railing.

* * *

As Neji turned to walk away, Naruto stood up, his arm wrapped around his chest, gasping. "Don't walk away from me, we're not through yet." he growled. "I never quit and never go back on my word, because that's my nindo, my ninja way."

Neji smirked, "I've heard those words before."

Naruto grunted. "You talk about all this destiny crap. It's not Hinata's fault that her father was born ahead of yours, and yet you resent her for it." he went on. "You disrespected her after she worked so hard to get here. I thought it was your destiny to serve the main household, not beat it to a bloody pulp."

The veins by Neji's eyes bulged out. "You impudent little-" he scowled. "You have no idea what it's like to be branded by a mark that can never be wiped away!"

Naruto cracked a small smile.

* * *

I instinctively reached for my hip, placing my hand over my own seal. _"You have no idea Neji."_

"_It's quite the opposite, he knows all to well." _Helena agreed. _"Having Kurama's chakra inside of him, having that tailed monster inside, it's just like Neji's own curse mark."_

"_And it's like the seal placed on me that kept you sealed away for twelve years." _I added.

"_Although, I can only gain complete control if you relinquish it over to me willingly." _Helena informed. _"Unlike Kurama, for once he gets control, there's no stopping him."_

I shook my head and looked down at Naruto, the look in his eyes was enough for me to tell he was thinking about the Nine-Tails.

* * *

"Yeah, I know what that's like." Naruto said. "I've got news for you Neji, you're not the only special one around here."

Despite Neji saying it was pointless, Naruto continued to stand tall, not backing down.

"It's fitting that you sympathize with Hinata because you are about to share her fate." Neji warned, activating his Byakugan.

"Oh yeah? You think that Byakugan of yours sees everything?" Naruto questioned. "Well, I'm gonna prove you wrong."

"Go right ahead." Neji edged.

Naruto took another deep breath and closed his eyes, placing both his hands together, both index and middle fingers pointing up.

* * *

"_No way…" _Helena gasped.

"_Is he doing what I think he's doing?" _I asked, shocked.

"_Yeah. He's trying to access Kurama's chakra." _Helena answered.

I chuckled, "I can't believe this."

"He's insane." Orchi deducted, blinking. "He has all sixty-four chakra points blocked, how does he expect to win?"

"Just watch." I told her.

"You're kidding right?" Shikamaru asked me.

I looked at him and shook my head. "Nope." I answered. "I told you, this match won't be over until Naruto wins." I looked back down at the match. "And, I think he's almost there."

* * *

"Why are you wasting time trying to defy your destiny?" Neji asked Naruto.

He opened his eyes, "Because people called me a failure!" he answered. "I'm gonna prove them wrong."

I nodded and smiled, feeling just a little proud that I was his teammate.

* * *

Soon, the arena was filled with a strong wind, that had sort of a heat to it.

"Okay, I agree with Orchi, he's insane." Shikamaru muttered. "With his chakra points blocked, this is borderline impossible-"

I cut him off by placing my hand over his mouth. I rolled my eyes and locked them with Shikamaru's. "As your friend I mean this in the nicest possible way…Shut up and watch."

My eyes drifted back to the arena, where I could faintly see orange waves of chakra swirling around Naruto's body. Shikamaru moved my hand from his mouth and held it on the railing.

* * *

Then it was like the chakra formed a cloak around Naruto, encasing his body. Not only did his chakra completely but it made him faster than before. Neji was barely able to block Naruto's frontal attacks. And I could barely follow them, all I could really make out was an Orange flash moving around the arena.

Then Naruto charged head on at Neji, crating a massive explosion in the middle of the arena.

* * *

I moved my arms in front of my eyes to shield them, my ponytail blowing behind me.

"What the hell was that?" Orchi asked, her head turned away from the arena.

"I have no idea." I answered, my eyes half shut.

Once the smoke cleared, there were two deep holes about six inches from each other where Naruto and Neji both were.

"But, which one's Naruto?" I asked, gulping.

"Don't ask me, I have no idea what just happened." Shikamaru gasped, white knuckling the railing.

* * *

Neji slowly stood up and was gasping for breath. He staggered to the other hole, where Naruto was laying.

"Nice try, but this is reality." Neji said, panting. "This match is over-"

He was cut off by a rumbling underground.

When he looked down, Naruto sprang up and clocked him right in the jaw with this left fist. Neji coughed up blood and fell flat on his back. The 'Naruto' that was laying down turned out to be a shadow clone, making the real one, the one who knocked out Neji.

* * *

"Wow." Orchi sighed, leaning back. "Glad I'm not the one who was paired up to fight Naruto."

Shikamaru nodded in agreement. "You called it Kris."

I smiled and chuckled. "Well of course, I am his teammate after all." and I said that with a hint of pride.

Sure Naruto was an idiot, totally reckless, doesn't know when to shut his mouth, and he never thinks anything through, and yet, I was impressed on how he won this match. It made a part of me want to fight him myself, just to see how strong he's really gotten.

* * *

"For the record, I flunked the Graduation Exam three times." Naruto told Neji. "There was this one jutsu that tripped me up every time, and that was the Clone Jutsu." he went on. "So don't come whining to me with all this destiny crap, you can always change what you are. Because, unlike me, you're not a failure."

After a minute or two, Genma declared Naruto the winner of the match. A smile spread across my face and I applauded, even adding in a small whistle.

"_Way to go Naruto." _I thought. _"I knew you could do it."_

* * *

**Naruto: **Oh yeah, who's the greatest ninja in the village? That's right, me!

**Sakura: **Naruto, you have yet to notice one thing.

**Naruto: **And what is that?

**Sakura: **Sasuke still isn't here.

**Kristin: **Yeah, and if he doesn't hurry, he's gonna be disqualified. Next Time: **Hit It or Quit It: The Final Rounds Get Complicated!**

**Helena: **We'll just have to see how things play out.

* * *

**A/N: **So sorry for the long wait guys^^' But this chapter was kinda hard for me to write. I combined episodes 60-62 into this chapter so that's why it's a bit long. I've shortened the Final Rounds considerably, but a part of that is to get to the Invasion of Konoha Arc that much faster, where some more foreshadowing will occur. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Read and Review, and please no flames :)

XOXO~Cyber


	45. The Final Rounds Get Complicated

**Hit it or Quit it: The Finals Rounds Get Complicated!**

* * *

After a minute or two, Genma declared Naruto the winner of the match. A smile spread across my face and I applauded, even adding in a small whistle.

"_Way to go Naruto." _I thought. _"I knew you could do it."_

Soon the entire crowd erupted into applause and whistles, cheering on Naruto for his victory. Naruto ran around the arena, a big ear to ear grin on his face, blowing kisses to the audience.

* * *

"I can't believe that Naruto defeated Neji." Shikamaru muttered. "And I thought he was just like me, one of the dorky and un-cool guys. Just great, I doubt I can beat him now." he hung his head low, gripping the railing. "What a drag, I've never felt so depressed."

I threw my left arm around Shikamaru and let out a loud whistle. "Awesome job Naruto!" I yelled down to him. "That's my teammate! Way to go! I never doubted you for a second!"

I chuckled and turned to Orchi, "If you think I'm gonna let that knucklehead show me up, you're dead wrong." I told her, smiling. "I'm gonna come at you with all I've got."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from the Copy Ninja's daughter." Orchi replied, clapping for Naruto yet smiling at me.

I giggled and turned to Shikamaru. "As for you, you are not dorky or un-cool." I told him. "Naruto may have guts, but you've got brains." I pocked the side of his head, smiling.

"That really doesn't matter, look at him." Shikamaru motioned down to the arena.

"That means nothing." I told him. "You're gonna be great in your match." I reassured him. "And, just think, yours is the very last one."

"Not helping Kris." Shikamaru sulked.

I leaned into him and smiled, "Smile man, be happy for Naruto." I told him. "I'm pretty sure the majority of these people never thought he would win."

Shikamaru shook his head. "Whatever."

I sighed, "At least make it look like you're happy." I said. "And also, you had better cheer me on after I win my match."

"Who said anything about you winning?" Orchi cut in, raising an eyebrow. "I worked my ass off all month, so you'd better be prepared to eat dirt."

"I was just gonna say the same thing." I told her, smiling.

Orchi and I may be friends now, but as soon as we face each other in the arena, we're rivals until Genma declares one of us the winner.

* * *

The medical corp. took Neji to the infirmary as Naruto left the arena and joined us up in the waiting area.

"Naruto." I giggled when I saw him.

"So, how was I?" Naruto asked, grinning ear to ear.

I pulled him into a hug and giggled, "You were awesome." I answered, smiling. "I knew you would win, I never doubted you for a second."

"Thanks Kris, that means a lot." Naruto returned my hug.

"My first impression of you was wrong and I'm sorry for how I treated you before." I apologized.

"It's okay." Naruto replied. "I'm sorry too, so we're even."

I giggled and playfully nudged his shoulder. "Great job man."

"That was pretty amazing Naruto." Orchi said, smiling and slapping his shoulder.

"I'll admit it, there were a few times where I thought you would loose." Shikamaru admitted, placing his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "But, I was wrong. That was a pretty intense match, nice job."

Naruto chuckled. "I know right, I totally wiped the floor with him." he laced his hands behind his head. "Who's the looser now?"

I giggled, "But hey, Naruto if you think I'm gonna let you show me up, you're wrong." I told him, pointing my finger at him.

"Hey, I'm actually anxious to see what you've learned Kris." Naruto smiled at me. "So I'm gonna be cheering for you the whole way." he held his fist out to me.

I nodded and bumped it. "Thanks."

And in that moment, I think Naruto and I actually became friends.

* * *

The crowd was becoming anxious for the next match to start, and Sasuke still hasn't shown up.

Shikamaru leaned against the railing. "What does Sasuke think he's doing? Forfeiting?" he questioned.

"A wise man never courts danger, leading to a wise decision." Shino said, nice and calmly.

I cast a glance to the far right corner of the viewing area and saw Gaara, and my mind instantly flashed to the encounter at the hospital. I quickly looked away before he noticed me staring.

"Given who Sasuke's opponent is Shino, I agree with you." I said, crossing my arms over the railing and leaning into them.

"Seriously?" Shikamaru said, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you telling me you're still not freaked about what happened yesterday at the hospital?" I asked him, in a hushed whisper.

"Well kinda but, c'mon Sasuke can handle that guy." Shikamaru whispered back.

"I know that." I told him, my voice still low. "I don't know about you, but watching Sasuke beat down Gaara will give me more than enough strength to win my match." I added. "I mean, I'm not gonna let those guys show me up."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked, his head on his arms. "Sasuke's defiantly gonna be here, believe it."

"Yeah, well if he isn't soon, he's gonna be disqualified." Orchi sighed, her arms folded over her chest.

I sighed myself. _"Seriously, it's not like Sasuke to miss something like this." _I thought.

Oh, who was I kidding? Since our run-in with Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, Sasuke hasn't been himself at all.

* * *

{Flashback}

"Oh I assure you, he and I will meet again." Orochimaru chuckled, forming a hand sign that was unfamiliar to me. Then, his neck became like rubber and he latched his fangs right into Sasuke's neck.

Sakura and I gasped in unison, "Sasuke!"

Orochimaru pulled away, smiling and licking his lips. I looked at Sasuke's neck and right above the two fang marks, appeared three black tomoe in a circle.

"_The Cursed Seal of Heaven." _Helena gasped, her spirit backing away into my subconscious mind.

Sakura clasped her hands over her chest, and tears welled in her green eyes. "Please Sasuke, quite now before…"she sniffled. "I don't know what, I'm scared." she wiped the tears from her eyes, holding back her worry.

"Sakura." I muttered.

My teammate wrapped her arm around my neck and cried into my shoulder. I moved my arm and patted her head, soothing her.

"Please Sasuke, you know as well as the both of us that you're in no condition to be fighting right now." I admitted, closing my eyes, avoiding Sasuke.

"Shut up, both of you." Sasuke spat.

I looked at him, "You think we're blind? Or stupid?" I scoffed. "Don't you know that we can see the suffering you're going through?"

I felt tears well in my eyes as well. "I, of all people, know what marks like that do to a person." I covered my hip with my free hand, "And I can see that mark is doing the same thing to you as mine did to me." I kept holding my tears back, after all, we couldn't have two emotional Kunoichi break down in this arena.

"That's enough, now drop it." Sasuke gritted his teeth and glared at me.

I tightened my grip on Sakura, who was gaining control over her emotions. "I'm sorry but I can't let you do this to yourself. I know the pain of being consumed by that power, and the burning sensation of the marks, I wouldn't wish that pain on my worst enemy, let alone my best friend." I clenched my left hand into a fist, trying to keep calm. I closed my eyes, "I'm going to tell the Hokage, and then maybe you'll understand…"

I slowly began to raise my hand, when Sasuke slapped it down and gripped my wrist, tightly. I flinched and looked into his deep onyx eyes.

"Don't you even think about telling them about this mark." he barked.

I sniffled and held back the tears I felt coming. "I don't get what you're trying to prove here. You're my best friend and I care about your well being, I can't let you go on in these exams." I whimpered. "You just want me to stand here and let you tear yourself apart? No Sasuke I can't bare to watch that!" I looked down, ignoring the fact that Sasuke was gripping my wrist a bit too tightly, and it was starting to hurt.

"Then don't watch Kris, but stay out of it." Sasuke replied, "This has nothing to do with you. Either of you." his eyes shifted from me to Sakura, then back to me.

Sasuke let go of my wrist and I, instinctively, pulled it back to me and rubbed it gently. He then looked right at me, "Like I've told you before, I am an avenger." he repeated. "For me, this is far more than just an exam. Whether I become a Chūnin or not means less than nothing to me." he added, and I saw anger well in his eyes. "Am I as strong as I can be? All I want is the answer to that."

The look I saw in his eyes, confirmed my suspicions. I knew things were changing, I just didn't know the most drastic change had already happened. And what he said next, backed it all up. "I walk a path the rest of you can't follow."

"_So this is it then." _I thought. _"Everything's gonna be different now. I just didn't think things would change this soon."_

I wiped the tears from my eyes with my black arm warmers, and I tried to keep calm.

{End Flashbacks}

* * *

I could feel the moisture forming in my eyes and quickly wiped it away before Shikamaru would notice. The last thing I wanted was for him to see me like this during the Final Competition, I've cried in front of him more than enough times during this past month than ever before.

"_Where are you Sasuke?" _I thought, sniffling. _"How are you gonna know how strong you are if you don't fight against possibly the strongest Genin in this completion?"_

I cast another quick glance at Gaara before laying my head on my arms, sighing deeply.

"Don't worry Kristin, he's gonna be here." Naruto said, smiling at me.

I closed my eyes and smiled back. "Yeah, you're right." I agreed. "After all, he wouldn't want to be outdone by us right?" I giggled.

"Believe it." Naruto chuckled.

* * *

Another Jōnin appeared next to Genma and whispered something in his ear, before disappearing.

"Listen up everyone," Genma called. "one of the competitors for the next match hasn't arrived yet. So instead, we are going to simply jump ahead to the battle that would've followed this one."

That made the rest of us gasp. Orchi and I shared a glance.

"Phew, that's good." Naruto sighed.

"Hey, that means my battle is one match closer now." Shikamaru realized. "What a drag."

I elbowed him in the ribs, "You don't get to complain, my match is before yours." I reminded him.

"Well this totally sucks." Orchi huffed, crossing her arms. "I was actually having fun watching these battles. And I was looking forward to Sasuke's match myself."

I nodded, "Same here, I would've liked to see my two teammates win their matches before ours."

"Why is that?" Orchi asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders, "Maybe to give me a bit more motivation to win?" I answered, smiling.

Orchi rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

I turned to Shino, "Good luck." I told him.

Shino scoffed. "I don't need luck."

"So Shino and Kankurō, come down here." Genma ordered.

After exchanging a glance with Temari, who nodded, Kankurō withdrew from the match, shocking us all, and angering Shino a bit.

Genma smirked. "Okay fine." he said. "Due to Kankurō's withdrawal, Shino Aburame wins by default."

The crowed voiced their loud opinions and disgust at that announcement.

"So with that, the next match shall now begin." Genma declared.

Orchi and I looked at each other and sighed heavily.

"I was hoping to watch one more match with you before having to fight you." Orchi admitted.

"Same here." I replied.

Orchi put on a smile and held out her hand. "You ready for this?" she asked.

I nodded and smiled, taking her hand. "Let's give them a great match that'll make them forget about Sasuke and Gaara for a while." I winked.

Well this was it, my time to show what new skills I learned during my training. Time to show the Third Hokage he made the right choice to give me a second chance at becoming a Chūnin.

* * *

**Next time**…

**Orchi**: Here we are, time to give it all we got.

**Kristin**: Just because we're friends, doesn't mean I'm gonna go easy on ya.

**Orchi**: I wouldn't expect anything less from the daughter of the Copy Ninja.

**Kristin**: Then let's do this.

**Orchi **and **Kristin**: Next Time: **Kunoichi Royale! Orchi vs. Kristin!**

**Naruto**: I can't wait to see what Kris can do.

**Shikamaru**: Just you watch, she's gonna surprise you.

* * *

**A/N: **Double feature! So the next chapter will be an original one, so I hope you guys are ready^^ Thanks again to my friend **PaytonLove** for letting me use her OC, Orchi, and her team for my story. It's helped me plan out ahead and given Kristin at least one female friend^^ Review please.

XOXO~Cyber


	46. Orchi vs Kristin

**Kunoichi Royale: Orchi vs. Kristin!**

* * *

"So with that, the next match shall now begin." Genma declared.

Orchi and I looked at each other and sighed heavily.

"I was hoping to watch one more match with you before having to fight you." Orchi admitted.

"Same here." I replied.

Orchi put on a smile and held out her hand. "You ready for this?" she asked.

I nodded and smiled, taking her hand. "Let's give them a great match that'll make them forget about Sasuke and Gaara for a while." I winked.

Well this was it, my time to show what new skills I learned during my training. Time to show the Third Hokage he made the right choice to give me a second chance at becoming a Chūnin.

"See you down there." Orchi said. And with a wink, she jumped over the railing.

"Get down there Kris!" Naruto said to me.

"Don't tell me your nervous now." Shikamaru added, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"I was at least hoping to see Sasuke wipe the floor with Gaara first but..." I sighed. "Oh what the hell. I can't let Naruto show me up!"

I clasped my fingers together, forming the Tiger sign. And, just like my father always does, I vanished in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

I teleported myself to the top of the stadium and looked up at the sky.

_"Grandpa, please be with me during this match." _I thought. _"I've always admired you for what you did and I only wish you were in the stands watching me. But I know you're with me now, right?" _I felt a small breeze blow all around me. I took it as a sign that my grandfather, the great 'White Fang of Konohagakure', was embracing me.

I shuddered and sighed. "Let's do this."

"Kristin Hatake!" Genma called.

* * *

I did my teleportation jutsu and reappeared in front of Genma and Orchi. I looked all around the stadium, and found my support group.

Asuma-sensei and Konoha-sensei were next to each other and smiled at me. Next to Konaha-sensei were Shirayuki and Rose, they both gave me a thumbs up. A few rows across from them was Kovu, Sakura, Ino, and Choji. Lastly I locked eyes with the Third Hokage, who nodded at me.

Orchi and I faced each other and smiled.

"Same rules as the preliminaries girls." Genma said. "A life or death battle scenario. If I feel that the match is over I will step in. The match is declared over when one of you can't go on."

"Understood." Orchi said.

"Any objections?" Genma looked at the both of us.

"Nope." Orchi smiled.

"None here." I added.

"Then, let the next match begin!" Genma declared.

He moved backwards, letting us have our own space. Orchi smiled and pulled a forehead protector from her ninja pouch and tied it around her forehead.

"Just like what Sakura and Ino did, no holding back." she said, her green eyes blazing.

I nodded, taking my headband from my waist. "Two Kunoichi fighting on equal grounds. Giving it all they've got." I pulled the headband tightly. "No holding back."

Orchi and I jumped back and she made the first move.

"Earth Style: Snake Vines!" Dozens of green vines shot up from the ground and I dodged a majority of them.

But some did hit my legs, stinging them for a short while.

"Okay, my turn." I said. I cast a glance up and saw Shikamaru give me a thumbs up, reassuringly.

I took a deep breath and exhaled. During my training I learned how to control my chakra to use my Sharingan in battle situations, and now it was time to put that training to the test. I felt my chakra flow through my body and when I could see the flow of Orchi's, I knew my Sharingan was activated.

"Time to get serious." I said, smiling.

I pulled out one of my 'Water Summoning Scrolls' and clenched it between my hands, funneling my chakra through it. I know, Orchi is an Earth-style user and Water-style is weak against it, but I didn't care.

I formed the 'Tiger' sign and slammed my hand down on the inside of the scroll, "Water Fang!" spinning torrents of water formed into spears and struck Orchi in rapid waves, making it hard for her to judge.

When I saw my own opening, I took it. I slid under the torrent spears and went in for a right cross, until I saw Orchi weave three signs, Snake-Dog-Ram, and with my Sharingan, I saw the jutsu.

"Earth Style: Serpent Labyrinth." and dozens of large, thick serpents grew from the ground, creating uneven platforms for us to fight on.

Without my Sharingan, I would've been completely caught off guard by that jutsu, so score one for genetics.

"You're quick on your feet Kristin, I'll give ya that." Orchi complemented, chuckling.

I smiled, "You should see me on water." I told her, blocking a punch she threw my way.

The serpents became our new platform and that made it a bit tricky to fight. We launched shuriken at one another, as well as traded a few punches here and there. Then, I felt a small tremble run throughout the pillars.

"Oh, and there's one small thing about this jutsu, it likes to randomly change." Orchi informed, giggling.

Suddenly, the pillars shifted underneath us both, making us jump into the air. Two came in from either side of me, looking to crush me. And they probably would've, if I didn't know a certain Lightning-style move that my father created. I threw my lightning charged fist upwards, breaking through the Earth-style technique and landing on the platform they created.

Even though the match just stared, Orchi was giving me a run for my money and I was already feeling just a little winded. But, she was also panting so that meant that I was giving her a run for her money as well.

When I glanced down past Orchi, I saw a kunai-knife with a chakra tag attached to it, which must be what was feeding the jutsu, and making her just a tad more winded than me. And I could use that to my advantage. I closed my eyes and focused, knowing I had to stay at least one step ahead of her. Sure, strategy isn't my strong point at all, but I would have to challenge myself only a little to make sure I won this match.

I whipped out a kunai knife and charged towards Orchi, with a spark of passion in my calm blue eyes. She blocked my attack with her own kunai, and we jumped from platform to platform. When I saw the kunai with the chakra tag, I threw two shuriken at it, cutting through the tag, disrupting the chakra flow altogether, discontinuing her jutsu.

"How the hell did you know to do that?" Orchi asked, as she broke her fall on the ground.

I landed on the surface of the water inside the small well inside the arena. "A lucky guess." I answered, smiling.

I pulled out another water scroll and summoned my ripping torrent, slamming Orchi with a tremendous force of water. Her clothes were soaked and her hair was dripping.

"Thanks for the over excessive shower." she said, coughing.

I smiled, "Call it what you want." I told her. Because, unbeknownst to her, I had already set the stage for my victory.

I executed a sequence of hand signs, Rat → Clone seal → Dog → Dragon → Rat, "Water Style: Shark Rain" water droplets transformed into miniature sharks and attacked Orchi in a swarm, and scraped at parts of her clothing.

* * *

In a brief moment of silence in the arena, I heard Shikamaru say, with the utmost confidence and pride, "She's got this won."

I looked up and him and his eyes met mine, and the smile on his face showed me how much he believed in me. I smiled back at him, winking.

"Now, let's do this." I pulled out two more water scrolls and set them down on the ground, in the upright position, and knelt down in between them.

I rapidly executed the hand signs, Tiger → Dragon → Monkey → Boar → Rat → Dragon, all with my Sharingan activated. "Water Style: Twin Dragons!" I quickly opened up the scrolls and summoned two powerful dragons, which struck Orchi from both sides, catching her off balance.

She collapsed on her knees, coughing and trying to catch her breath. "Damn girl." she said, spitting out water that had gotten into her mouth.

I smiled to myself and prepared my final move.

"This move is checkmate." I heard Shikamaru say. And he was right on the money.

This was the hardest water technique I learned, but I worked hard on it and knew I only had one shot, and with the little chakra I had, I needed to make this count. I executed the sequence, Ram → Ox → Monkey → Rat → Boar → Bird → Ox → Horse → Bird → Rat → Tiger → Dog → Tiger → Snake → Ox → Ram → Snake → Boar → Ram → Rat → Yang Water → Monkey → Bird → Dragon → Rat, "Water Style: Hydra!" I jumped into the air and pulled out about ten shuriken from my pouch and tossed them in with the dragon heads, as they lunged towards Orchi.

She did just what I thought she would, which was try and dodge the weapons, which is what I wanted her to do. I landed in a kneeling position and watched as Orchi fell backwards. When she tried to get back up, she was halted by the wire that was looped through the shuriken. The wire cut into her skin, drawing a little bit of blood.

I took a kunai knife from my holster, "Game, set, match." I said, tossing it. It landed an inch from Orchi's face.

With a small chuckle, Orchi laid her head down and sighed, closing her eyes.

* * *

"Due to Orchi not being able to continue, Kristin Hatake is the winner." Genma declared.

The crowed whistled and applauded for my victory. I looked out at the crowd and saw Sakura, Kovu, and Choji standing up, clapping and smiling. A few rows over; Konoha, Asuma, Kurenai, Rose, and Shirayuki were all standing and clapping as well. Even the Third Hokage was giving me a standing ovation, a smile across his face.

I picked up the kunai knife and sliced through the wire confining Orchi, and extended my hand to her. She looked up at me and smiled, gripping my hand.

"Thanks." she said.

I smiled at her, "No problem." I replied.

"Congrats." Orchi told me, looking out at the cheering crowd. "That was a great match."

"Agreed." I said. I squeezed her hand and held it high.

We both giggled and smiled at the crowd. In the back of the arena, I saw someone lean off the wall…my father and sensei. He gave me a small nod then vanished in a puff of smoke.

"_A Shadow Clone." _I huffed to myself. _"Well, that's better than nothing." _

The medical corp. came out and helped Orchi to the infirmary and I made my way back to the waiting area.

* * *

As I walked up the stairs, I leaned against the wall and caught my breath, breathing a sigh of relief that I won my match. I took my headband from my forehead and tied it back around my waist, brushing off the dirt on my skirt. I got up off the wall and walked back to the viewing area.

Naruto turned around and smiled at me. "Way to go Kris, that was awesome." he told me, holding out his fist.

I bumped it, smiling back at him. "Thanks Naruto." I replied.

He pulled me into a hug and I returned it, giggling.

I pulled away and turned around to Shikamaru. "Great job down there." he said, placing his hand on my shoulder.

I looked into his eyes and threw my arms around his neck, giggling. "I can't believe I actually pulled that off!" I admitted, tightening my grip.

His arms snaked around my back and he returned my embrace. "I knew you would, all along." he told me, his grip tightening.

I pulled away and looked into his eyes, smiling. "And I know you're gonna win yours as well." I told him.

Shikamaru's expression changed. "Right, my match is next." he moved his arms from around me to the railing.

Before Genma could say anything, Temari whipped her fan out and jumped on it, riding a wind current down to the ground. She landed in front of Genma, her fan closed and leaning against her.

Genma looked up at the waiting area, specifically at Shikamaru. "Shikamaru Nara, get down here!" he called.

Before Shikamaru could do anything, Naruto hit him in the back, causing him to fall over the railing and land flat on his back.

I leaned over and saw him glaring up at Naruto. I smiled down and waved, trying to ease the tension.

"_That could've gone better." _Helena chided.

"Let's go Shikamaru!" Naruto yelled. "Get your ass in gear."

I elbowed Naruto in the ribs, causing him to wince. When he looked over at me, I narrowed my eyes at him.

I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled, "Let's go Shikamaru!"

"_This match is gonna be interesting." _Helena said.

* * *

Next time…

**Kristin**: Let's go Shikamaru!

**Sakura**: I still say it seems weird he's fighting in the Final Rounds.

**Ino**: I say it's awesome! Go teammate!

**Helena**: *sighs* This sure is gonna be an interesting match alright.

**Kristin**: Next time: **Zero Motivation: The Guy With Cloud Envy!**

**Ino**: Let's go teammate! Take that bitch down!

**Sakura **and **Kristin**: Ino, you're cheering is getting kinda scary.


	47. Zero Motivation

**Zero Motivation: The Guy With Cloud Envy!**

* * *

Before Shikamaru could do anything, Naruto hit him in the back, causing him to fall over the railing and land flat on his back.

I leaned over and saw him glaring up at Naruto. I smiled down and waved, trying to ease the tension.

"_That could've gone better." _Helena chided.

"Let's go Shikamaru!" Naruto yelled. "Get your ass in gear."

I elbowed Naruto in the ribs, causing him to wince. When he looked over at me, I narrowed my eyes at him.

I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled, "Let's go Shikamaru!"

"_This match is gonna be interesting." _Helena said.

* * *

People in audience 'booed' and began throwing stuff into the ring, and all Shikamaru did was just lay there, looking up at us.

Temari hit her fan on the ground, "What's the matter?" she asked. "Or are you planning on giving up too?"

* * *

I rolled my eyes, "Man, she's a real bitch." I muttered.

"So you think Shikamaru can beat her?" Naruto asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I believe he can, I just hope he can find the motivation to, you know?" I looked over at him and sighed. "He's never really motivated much really to do anything."

Naruto looked at me with a blank expression.

I sighed, "Yes I think he can beat her." I answered him.

"Okay then." Naruto said. "Come on Shikamaru, get up and fight!" he yelled down towards my friend. "You gonna get going sometime this year? Get your ass up and fight!"

I elbowed him in the ribs, "If anyone has the right to say stuff like that, it's me." I told him.

"Why you?" Naruto asked.

I sighed, "Because I've known him since I was five." I answered. Naruto nodded.

We both turned our attention back to the arena.

* * *

"Fine, if you're not going to move, then I will." Temari said, picking up her fan and charging towards Shikamaru.

Shikamaru pulled out two kunai knives. "I forgot, she's a spunky one." he murmured. "I hate spunky."

Temari aimed to hit him with her fan, but he dodged and stood on the kunai knives he threw into the wall. He stood looking down at Temari.

"It really doesn't make a difference to me whether I become a Chūnin or not." he admitted. "But I guess I shouldn't let myself get beaten by a female. So come on, let's do this."

Temari narrowed her eyes and unleashed a powerful blast of wind. Shikamaru ran from the direction of the attack and hid behind one of the trees a couple feet away.

* * *

In the silence of the arena, I could hear Ino's cheering. "Go for it Shikamaru!" she yelled. "Use that super ultimate technique on her and take that bitch down!"

I stifled a laugh. "Well, Ino's very supportive, I'll give her that much." I said, smiling.

"She cheered just as loudly for him in the Preliminaries as well." Shino told me.

I nodded, "Well, I would've too, since the girl he fought then used me as a human yo-yo." I remembered what exactly Kin did to Sakura and myself.

"When did that happen?" Naruto asked.

I sighed, "You were unconscious Naruto." I reminded him. "You missed that entire fight."

* * *

Speaking of fights, I focused my attention back on Shikamaru's.

When I got a better focus, I noticed he did a familiar gesture with his hands, one that I recognized.

"What kind of hand sign is that anyway?" I hard Kankurō asked.

I giggled, "It's not a hand sign." I answered, looking over at him. "It's just a small habit he does whenever he's thinking."

"And how do you know that?" Kankurō asked me, narrowing his eyes.

"I know Shikamaru better than anyone." I answered. "Once he thinks up a strategy, this match is as good as won."

"Don't count my sister out yet." Kankurō said.

"Well don't count my guy out yet either." I replied, narrowing my eyes at him.

I looked back down at Shikamaru, who had his eyes closed and his hands forming a circle in front of his stomach. _"Come on Shikamaru, I know you can think of a perfect strategy to beat her. After all, you did beat me a few times in training after you did that."_

* * *

{Flashback}

I was winded from all of my evasive tactics on trying to out run Shikamaru's shadow. I sought refuge in a small inlet in the mountains of the village.

"_His stamina levels are amazing." _I thought. _"I can't keep this up for much longer."_

"_The we'll just have to outwit him in someway." _Helena told me.

"Easier said than done." I replied aloud. "He's the smartest person I know."

"_Well I have age on him, let ne take lead." _Helena suggested.

I rolled my eyes. "What's your plan?"

"_Get to the lake, that's where you'll be the strongest." _Helena told me.

"He'll expect that." I reminded her.

"_Sometimes the best strategy is the obvious one." _Helena told me. _"Trust me on this one."_

I took a deep breath and exhaled. Then I carefully bolted from the inlet and ran down the mountainside, carefully trying to avoid getting caught by Shikamaru's shadow.

"Got ya." I heard him say.

I whipped out a kunai from my holster and blocked his attack, the sound of metal scraping across metal rang in my ears. We traded blows and blocks, and I made a run for it when I saw the lake ahead of me.

I landed in the center and executed my 'Twin Dragons' technique, but Shikamaru dodged it effectively. The dragons swirled around me, creating a small barrier, protecting me for the time being.

I could tell Shikamaru was near his limit as well, noticing how he was breathing. Then, he placed his hands together, fingertips barely touching and he closed his eyes. I cocked my head to the side, wondering what he was doing. A minute later, he opened his eyes.

"Let's see how quick you really are, Kris." he said, charging towards me.

I had to break my water technique to block the fist he threw at me. We fought on the surface of the water, trading blow for blow, and block for block.

After he pulled back, I did as well, and we both just stood there, panting and staring at each other.

"_Now's our chance." _Helena said.

I sighed and ran towards him, a kunai ready.

"Checkmate." Shikamaru muttered, and I suddenly couldn't move.

"Even on the water's surface, there's still a shadow that's cast, and any shadow I see, I can capture." Shikamaru told me, looking down.

I mimicked the action and saw a thick black line run through the small shadows created by rocks under the water, and that line connected my shadow with Shikamaru's.

"Looks like I win today's match." Shikamaru said, smiling.

I sighed in defeat. "Yes you did." I agreed. "Now, can you let me go?"

"Not yet." Shikamaru answered, walking towards me, making me walk towards him.

We stood opposite each other in the center of the lake, "Now I'll let you go." he said, breaking the jutsu.

I was so exhausted from trying to evade him, I barely had any strength to stand. So when he released my shadow, I fell forward, right into his arms.

"We should probably get back to my place, before my mom comes up here herself." Shikamaru said to me, smiling.

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'm starving."

Shikamaru helped me off the lake surface and handed my top and skirt to wear over my white bikini.

"So what was that sign you did?" I asked him, wringing out my ponytail.

"Just something I always do whenever I get stuck." he answered, slipping on his mesh shirt. "I do it when I play Shogi with Asuma all the time. Whenever I get stuck on a move, I just do that thing with my hands, it helps me think."

I nodded. "And it somehow helps you think of a winning strategy?" I questioned.

"Crazy as it sounds, yes." Shikamaru answered, smiling.

{End Flashback}

* * *

"_Alright Shikamaru, let's see what you've come up with." _I thought, leaning against the railing.

* * *

I saw the thick line of his shadow stretch out of the smoke caused by another wind attack of Temari's. I stretched far, but barely missed her. She marked the edge of the range in the dirt.

Then, she unleashed another blast of wind energy, and Shikamaru ducked behind a tree to avoid being shredded by Temari's wind-techniques.

"Are you sure he can beat her?" Naruto questioned me.

I nodded. "He thought of his strategy, now he just needs to put it into play." I told him. "Let's go Shikamaru!" I yelled, cheering him on.

The sun had lowered since the start of the Finals, and with the sun setting, the further the shadows of the arena grew, and that played right to Shikamaru's advantage.

"Come out and face me coward!" Temari yelled, swiping her fan and creating another blast of wind.

Two kunai came flying at her, but she dodged both. However, that distracted her long enough for Shikamaru's shadow to sneak up on her. But it only extended a couple more feet than before.

"You're pretty quick on your toes." Shikamaru complimented.

"So, now I see what you were doing. You were killing time, waiting for the sun to get lower." Temari noted, smirking.

* * *

"Okay, I'm confused." Naruto said.

"As oppose to any other day." I muttered, looking over at him.

"How is Shikamaru gonna use his shadow anyway?" Naruto asked me.

I sighed, "You really have no idea what he's capable of do you?" I questioned Naruto, who shrugged his shoulders. "Shikamaru can basically do anything with his shadow, even make shadows within shadows."

"Shadows within shadows?" Naruto repeated.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Never mind, just watch."

* * *

I looked up and saw something floating in the sky. When it came down lower I saw it was Shikamaru's jacket tied to a kunai knife with his headband. He slowly floated down to the arena, creating an extra shadow to extend his range.

Temari kept dodging the shadow until it couldn't reach her. She smiled triumphantly and unfolded her fan, creating a small wall between her and Shikamaru. Shikamaru's shadow receded back towards him. And a few seconds later, he threw it straight ahead into the hole a few feet away from him. Then, Temari froze.

* * *

I gasped, "Brilliant."

"How the hell did he do that?" Kankurō asked, shocked.

I giggled, casting a glance at him. "I told you, don't count my guy out." I repeated, smiling and winking.

I turned my attention back to the arena ground, where Shikamaru was just about to make his winning move.

* * *

"That hole behind you is where Naruto popped out and knocked Neji for a loop." Shikamaru said, reminding Temari on how Naruto beat Neji in the first match. "The hole in front of you is where he went into the ground; the two are connected."

"_He used the shadows underground to extend his range indefinitely." _I thought. I turned to Naruto. "Just think Naruto, how you beat Neji helped Shikamaru beat Temari."

"Cool." Naruto chuckled.

"_He honestly has no idea." _Helena said. _"The idiot."_

"Yeah, way to go Shikamaru!" Naruto cheered.

"The next move is checkmate." I giggled.

* * *

Shikamaru and Temari approached each other, with Temari having no control over her body at all. They both raised their right hands, and everyone was watching intently to see how Shikamaru would win this. The entire audience was silent.

"The hell with it, I give up." Shikamaru said loudly.

* * *

I gasped, completely shocked.

"_He WHAT?" _Helena barked.

* * *

The crowd erupted into more 'boos' and complaints.

"Excuse me?" Temari asked.

"I used up all my chakra on that Shadow Possession." Shikamaru answered. "I'm god for another ten seconds and that's it. And it sucks though, because I had already planned out the next two hundred moves in my head." his shadow jutsu receded, freeing Temari.

"I've known him for seven years." I muttered, slamming my head on my arms. "How did I not see this coming?"

"The winner is…Temari." Genma declared.

* * *

Next time…

**Naruto**: Listen to that crowd, they are pumped.

**Kristin**: Well duh, it's the big match. The match that everyone wants to see.

**Shikamaru**: I'm even a little anxious myself to see this one.

**Naruto**: Huh? You guys say something?

**Kristin**: Yeah, it's the big match, Sasuke vs. Gaara!

**Naruto**: I can't hear ya over the crowd.

**Kristin**: *Groans*

**Shikamaru**: Forget it. Don't waste your breath.

**Kristin**: Next time: **Dancing Leaf, **

**Shikamaru**: **Squirming Sand.**

**Naruto**: I can't wait to see this next match!


	48. Dancing Leaf, Squirming Sand

**Dancing Leaf, Squirming Sand.**

* * *

Shikamaru and Temari approached each other, with Temari having no control over her body at all. They both raised their right hands, and everyone was watching intently to see how Shikamaru would win this. The entire audience was silent.

"The hell with it, I give up." Shikamaru said loudly.

I gasped, completely shocked.

"_He WHAT?" _Helena barked.

The crowd erupted into more 'boos' and complaints.

"Excuse me?" Temari asked.

"I used up all my chakra on that Shadow Possession." Shikamaru answered. "I'm good for another ten seconds and that's it. And it sucks though, because I had already planned out the next two hundred moves in my head." his shadow jutsu receded, freeing Temari.

"The winner is…Temari." Genma declared.

"I've known him for seven years." I muttered, slamming my head on my arms. "How did I not see this coming?"

* * *

Naruto gripped the railing and gritted his teeth. "What the hell was that? Forfeiting the match when he had it won!" he exclaimed. "That lazy son of a bitch, I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!" and with that he put his foot on the railing and jumped over it, landing on the arena ground.

I sighed, "When will he learn?" I asked, shaking my head.

"Which one?" Shino asked. "Naruto or Shikamaru?"

"Both." I answered, jumping over the railing.

* * *

I landed on my knees and sighed, hearing Naruto yelling at Shikamaru.

"I wanna talk to you idiot!" Naruto yelled.

"Who are you calling an idiot, idiot?" Shikamaru questioned.

"Why'd you give up?" Naruto asked. "Are you really that lazy or are you just a big chicken?"

"Hey, it's over, let's just forget it okay?" Shikamaru groaned, popping his neck.

I rolled my eyes and noticed his jacket and headband a couple inches from me. I picked them up and untied his jacket and headband from the kunai knife. I slipped the kunai into my holster and slung Shikamaru's jacket and headband over my arms, and walked over to them.

"Would you give it a rest Naruto?" I asked, punching him in the head. "You're forgetting, there's another match."

Naruto put his hands on his head and groaned. "What?" he questioned. Then it hit him. "Oh right, Sasuke."

I nodded and walked over to Shikamaru and slapped his shoulder. "What the hell man, you had it won!" I exclaimed, referring to his match. "Why'd you quit?"

"If I would've won, it would just mean more matches." Shikamaru answered. "And that just sounds like too much work for me."

I rolled my eyes. "You're hopeless." I muttered. "Seriously, you know that."

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders. "So what? It would be my luck that I would end up facing you in the next round anyways."

"And you didn't want the entire village to see you getting your ass whipped by a girl." I finished, shaking my head. "Still signing that tune aren't ya."

He cracked a smile, "Yeah. You would beat my ass, so I made the smart move."

"You could've just forfeited before the match started." I told him.

"Nah." Shikamaru said, shaking his head.

I chuckled and gave him a hug. "But still, that was pretty amazing." I told him, smiling.

He wrapped his arms around my back. "Your match was better."

I pulled away and raised an eyebrow. "Sure it was more interesting to watch but, in all fairness, I wouldn't be surprised if you were promoted to Chūnin after the Finals are over." I admitted. "You're better than you give yourself credit for."

"Same goes for you." he replied, patting my shoulder. "I would be surprised if you didn't get promoted."

I smiled and laid my head on his shoulder. "Thanks."

He rubbed my arm and laid his head on top of mine. "Anytime."

* * *

The Jōnin guarding Lord Hokage, who's name I learned to be Raidō, whispered something in Genma's ear before disappearing. Genma pulled out a pocket watch and cracked a small smile. My guess was Lord Hokage set some kind of time limit for Sasuke to show up before he was disqualified.

"Man, if he doesn't show, I'll kill him." Naruto groaned. "I swear I'll kill him."

"Seriously though," I muttered. "where is Sasuke?" I asked.

"It isn't like him to be this late." Shikamaru added. "Mr. Perfect."

I rolled my eyes. "Well he is training with my father, and he's never on time for anything." I pointed out.

"_He doesn't know the meaning of the word 'punctuality'." _Helena scoffed.

"Yeah." I sighed.

The crowd had no trouble voicing their opinions about waiting for this match, and it was starting to get very annoying.

* * *

"Alright, the time limit has expired." Genma announced. But right before he could call the match, a gust of wind blew throughout the arena, creating a whirlwind of dust and leaves.

When the vortex died down, Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei appeared back to back. And I could instantly tell Sasuke was different, not only in looks but in strength as well. He wore a black, one-pieced version of his usual outfit with many small arm-belts adorning his left arm and similar bands around both legs. Also, his bangs were longer than they were before.

"And who are you?" Genma asked.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke answered.

The crowed erupted into loud cheers, excited that the most anticipated match was finally gonna start.

"So you finally showed up huh?" Naruto questioned, smiling. "Because I was betting that you weren't."

"_Yeah right you liar." _Helena scoffed.

"So what about you?" Sasuke asked. "Did you win?"

"Damn right I did." Naruto answered.

Sasuke chuckled. "Well don't get too full of yourself, you're still a looser."

"And an idiot, a fool, and a knucklehead." I added, folding my arms over my chest.

Sasuke looked in my direction. "How 'bout you Kris? You win too?" he asked.

I nodded. "Damn straight I did." I answered. My eyes shifted to my father. "Of course, Kakashi-sensei already knew that. Mr. 'Sends a Shadow Clone to watch his daughter's match'." I glared at him.

He chuckled. "Yes, well, that I can-"

I held up my finger. "No, we will have this conversation later." I told him, not wanting to hear any excuses. "After the Finals."

"Thrown into the doghouse by my own daughter." dad sighed.

"Damn straight." I replied.

Sasuke then looked at Shikamaru, who was standing next to me, his arm around my waist. "What about you?" he asked.

Shikamaru just closed his eyes and smiled.

"He had it won." I answered. "But uh, since he was sure I would be his next opponent, he forfeited the match." I lightly elbowed him in the ribs.

"What can I say?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders. "This entire exam has been nothing but a real drag. Not to mention a pain in my ass."

"So you were afraid our girl would kick your ass." Sasuke deducted.

"Not afraid. I knew she would kick my ass." Shikamaru corrected. "And I didn't want to deal with the humiliation of being beaten by a female, who just happens to be one of my best friends."

I rolled my eyes. "You really gotta stop saying that." I told Shikamaru, looking at him. "Really, it's not a very charming, or classy quality."

"Whoever said I was classy?" Shikamaru asked.

"True point." I said.

"So, how late are we exactly?" dad asked Genma. "I mean it's not like Sasuke is disqualified or anything, right?" he chuckled lightly.

Genma smiled. "Like master, like pupil right down to you lousy sense of timing." he said. "You were so late we extended the deadlines for you, twice in fact. And you barely made it, no he's not disqualified."

The crowd erupted into louder cheers of excitement. Sasuke looked up and locked eyes with Gaara, and from the looks in their eyes, this match was gonna be the most intense one yet.

"Just make sure you don't loose to this guy." I said to Sasuke.

"Yeah." Sasuke answered.

Naruto smiled. "Hey Sasuke!" he said, causing Sasuke to look at him. "Don't loose. Because I wanna fight you myself."

Sasuke looked right into Naruto's eyes. "Got it." he replied.

Yeah, this match was gonna be interesting.

"Alright Gaara, get down here!" Genma called.

"Come on you two, they don't need us here." Shikamaru said to me and Naruto, pulling me along with him. "And Naruto, I'm gonna take the stairs this time if you don't mind."

"Come on, are you still upset that I gave you a little push?" Naruto groaned, catching up to us. "You oughta be grateful."

I chuckled, "Yeah well next time, don't push him so hard." I told him as he walked up beside me.

* * *

The three of us continued up the stairs back towards the waiting area.

"Come on already." Naruto called back to Shikamaru and me.

"Relax Naruto, you're gonna give yourself an ulcer." Shikamaru told him.

Naruto stopped suddenly stopped on the staircase, staring wide eyed ahead of him. We walked up to him.

"What's going on man?" I asked him.

Shikamaru and I turned to look in the same direction Naruto was, and we saw Gaara walking down the ramp coming towards us. Two shinobi were standing in the way, and since their backs were turned to us, I couldn't see what headbands they were wearing.

"You little punks think this tournament is all about you." said one of the shinobi. "But really it's about the people who bet on you. And our boss has a lot of money on the other guy to win."

"Which means, you gotta loose." said the other one.

The cork on Gaara's gourd popped out and sand rushed from it, wrapping around one of the shinobi and crushing him. I gasped and froze, hoping Gaara wouldn't notice us. The second shinobi ran down the ramp, and I noticed the Kusagakure symbol on his headband. Gaara's sand caught up with him, wrapped around his body, and dragged him back down into the darkness. He screamed in pain…then nothing.

Gaara walked down the hall and stood right behind us, and he slowly made his way down the stairs, passing us by. He got to one platform and made eye contact with me, and I froze in place.

"_He really is a monster." _I thought. Then, I gulped.

"_Let's just hope Sasuke survives this next match." _Helena said.

* * *

Next time…

**Naruto**: I'm not even sure Gaara's human. To kill people just like that.

**Kristin**: The way he is, I'm scared for Sasuke. What if Gaara takes things too far?

**Naruto**: We have to warn Kakashi-sensei. We have to stop this match!

**Shikamaru**: Next time: **Late for the Show, but Ready to Go**.

**Helena**: I have a feeling that some evil shit is about to go down.

* * *

**A/N: **I know this chapter is kinda short, but the **Chunin Exam Arc** is almost done! After the next chapter, the **Invasion of Konoha** begins! Review please^^

XOXO~Cyber


	49. Late for the Show, but Ready to Go!

**Late for the Show, but Ready to Go!**

* * *

"If we had come up the stairs even a second earlier, that could've been us just now." Shikamaru pointed out. "I've never seen anyone kill like that without even batting an eye. Things don't look so good for our friend at all."

My entire body felt frozen and I couldn't move at all. I just sat there on the stairs, staring blankly ahead.  
"Do you guys remember yesterday? What Gaara said?" Shikamaru asked both Naruto and me. "Because I do."

Oh, I remembered alright. And it still chilled me to the bones whenever I thought of it.

* * *

{Flashback}

as I locked eyes with Gaara again, I felt the fear return, and fearful reality that if my life was different, I could be just like him.

Naruto took a small step back, a look of utter fear on his face. I'm pretty sure I had a similar expression on my face.

Then, something else caught our attention. The sand around Gaara sprang up around him, and was swaying like a snake ready to attack. The look in Gaara's eyes said everything, he was ready to kill us.

I stepped back, tugging on Shikamaru's arm. "We have to leave, like right now." I whimpered.

But the sand was faster. It formed into three spears and came right at us. It was all happening so fast; one second I'm staring down the sand, the next thing I'm wrapped in Shikamaru's arms like he's shielding me, and the next Guy-sensei walked in, halting Gaara from his attack.

"Save it for tomorrow." he said, standing in the doorway. "That's when the Finals begin. You're just wasting it today."

Gaara's hands flew to the sides of his head and he gripped his hair, almost moaning. The sand around him moved back into the gourd and the cap screwed back in, sealing it.

"Those with demons should be aware, in a moment of weakness, the beast inside takes over." he moaned. "And they won't relinquish control so easily."

Naruto and I gasped in unison, and I clung to Shikamaru even tighter. His arms tightened around me and he glared at Gaara as he walked out.

Gaara stopped by the doorway, "All the same I will kill you." he warned. "I'll kill you all." and he walked out, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.

{End Flashback}

* * *

"_If he really wanted to kill us, he had the perfect opportunity to do so before his match." _I thought, swallowing.

"So why didn't he do it?" Shikamaru asked. "Why didn't he kill us just now?"

"We're not good enough for him." Naruto answered.

"So right now, the only person who can make him feel anything…" Shikamaru began.

"The only one is Sasuke." Naruto finished.

My legs began trembling and I gripped the fabric of skirt tightly. I curled my toes and tried to calm down, but flashbacks from yesterday kept on coming.

* * *

{Flashback}

"_So, we are alike, kind of."_ I cast a glance at Shikamaru, then to Naruto, the latter who was as shocked as I was. _"All three of us, are the same."_

"I could never find the answer." Gaara admitted. "But in order to live, you need a purpose. To exist for no reason, is the same as being dead."

I gulped. _"So it is true, he is like us." _I glanced at Naruto again, and he was probably thinking the same thing I was.

My eyes wandered back to Shikamaru, who was wide eyed as well. _"He has no idea what this all means."_

I inched my hand closer to his, but halted when I heard Gaara say, to put it simply, "My reason for living was in the killing of others." he said. "It all became clear to me; I fight only for myself, I love only myself. As it was the death of my mother that gave me life, it's the killing of others that sustains it, making me almost happy to be alive."

I tried to ignore the urge to run out of that room as if I was running from Death himself, but I was frozen where I stood. The next thing Gaara said made me move the only thing I could, my arm. I gripped the thing closest to me, which was Shikamaru's hand.

"_Could I have been like that?" _I though, my legs shaking. _"If I didn't have a family and friends, could I have turned into a cold hearted killer like Gaara?" _

{End Flashback}

* * *

I heard the sound of footsteps receding and Naruto's voice saying. "I've gotta stop him. I've gotta stop this match."

I tried, but my body just wouldn't move at all. I gulped and clenched my fists tighter.

* * *

{Flashback}

Shikamaru gently tapped my hip and helped me out of the room.

I made about halfway down the hallway before I collapsed on my knees, sobbing.

"Hey, Kristin what's wrong?" Shikamaru asked me, kneeling down in front of me.

"I could've been just like that." I said, through ragged breaths.

"Like what? Gaara?" Shikamaru questioned.

I nodded, "If not for my family and you guys, then yes."

"No way in Hell would you be like that." Shikamaru said, placing his hands on my shoulders. "You're way too sweet a girl to be that cold." he put his thumb and index finger under my chin, lifting my face up to his. "What makes you think that?"

"Because we're the same; him and me." I answered, tears spilling down my cheeks. "Helena and Shukaku, they're both demon spirits, just from different lands. Both were sealed inside of us at birth."

"But you haven't killed anyone, well anyone who didn't deserve it." Shikamaru told me. "You're not like him, not at all."

"Because I was raised differently than him." I reminded. "I had a mother and father, and a brother and sister, and three best friends who encouraged me that I could do anything. I had you." I threw my arms around his neck and cried into his jacket, my shoulders heaving.

Shikamaru's arms wrapped around me and hugged me tightly. "And you'll always have me, no matter what." he whispered in my ear. "You told me once that how you control your powers is with an anchor right?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I remind myself of those I care for, but a memory can only go so far."

"Then, let it be more than a memory." Shikamaru advised. And after a few seconds he added, "Let me be your anchor."

I opened my eyes and gasped, pulling away so I could look into his eyes. "What?" I asked.

Shikamaru wiped a tear away from my cheek. "Let me be your anchor, if you ever feel like you'll loose control."

"Do you know what you're asking?" I asked him.

He nodded, "Yes, I'm volunteering to be the idiot who tried to control a so called 'untamable' wolf demon, should she take full control of my best friend." he said, with a small smile. "Kristin, I'll always be here for you, let me do this."

I smiled weakly and threw my arms around his neck, hugging him as tightly as I could. "Thank you." I cried.

"Anytime, I'll never leave you." Shikamaru ran his hand through my hair. "I'll always be here for you."

"You promise?" I asked, leaning into his shoulder.

"I promise." he replied, hugging me and kissing my forehead.

{End Flashback}

* * *

I felt hands grip my shoulders, snapping me back to reality. "Kristin." Shikamaru said, gripping my shoulder.

I moved my head slightly to look at him, and from the way his expression changed, he must've seen the fear in my eyes.

"What's goin on?" he asked, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

"I just have this…this feeling." I told him, trying to calm myself down. "This feeling that something is gonna happen."

Shikamaru helped me to my feet. "Something like what?" he asked.

I took a deep breath and exhaled. "Something bad." I told him. I threw my arms around his neck and cried into his chest, letting out the emotion I felt strongest…fear. "I'm just really scared Shikamaru." I admitted.

He wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my back. "I'm here, it's okay." he reassured me. "As long as I'm here, nothing's gonna happen to you. I swear."

I gathered myself and pulled away, looking up at him. "Really?" I questioned.

Shikamaru wiped the tears from my cheeks, "Yes, I promise I'll always be there for you." he planted a kiss on my forehead.

I took a shaky breath and sighed. "Where's Naruto?" I asked, looking around for my idiotic teammate.

"He said something about finding Kakashi-sensei." Shikamaru answered. "To stop the match."

Just then, I was hit with a sensation that paralyzed me again.

"_Oh God no, anything but that." _Helena whimpered in my subconscious mind.

"_What? What's going on Hel?" _I asked her, scared.

"_He's gonna try it." _Helena gulped. _"He's trying to transform…" _she receded back into my subconscious mind.

My knees buckled underneath me and I fell into Shikamaru's arms, tightening my grip on his neck for support.

"I've got ya." he told me, tightening his grip around my back.

"Something's happening down in the arena." I told him. "I agree with Naruto, this match has to be stopped."

I went to run up the stairs, but Shikamaru grabbed my arm, halting me. "Slow down there, what's going on with you?" he asked, stepping up level with me. "Kris, you're starting to freak me out."

I sighed. "The second Gaara looked into my eyes, I sensed that he was on the verge of doing something." I answered. "Killing those two grass shinobi was just an appetizer. That means Sasuke's the main course." I added, biting my trembling lip. "And who knows what's gonna happen after…"

"Hey, calm down okay." Shikamaru said, stepping up one stair to look down at me.

"How can I? Shikamaru if something happens, I just might have to…" I said, trialing off.

"I know." he cut in, placing his finger over my mouth. "And if that happens, I'm gonna be right there."

I looked up into his eyes and smiled. I laid my head on his chest and let him embrace me again. "Thanks." I told him.

"Anytime." he replied.

Footsteps came closer to us. "Did you two not hear me?" Naruto asked, annoyed. "We have to stop this match!"

I pulled away from Shikamaru and wiped my tears from my eyes. Then, we followed Naruto as we tracked down my sensei.

* * *

My dad was watching the match, standing near where Kovu, Sakura, Ino, and Choji were sitting. Standing next to my dad were Guy-sensei and Lee. Since we ran the entire time, we were a little bit winded.

"What's going on you three?" Dad asked.

"Sensei please, you have to stop this match." Naruto begged. "The guy Sasuke's fighting against is as far from normal as you can get."

"Slow down Naruto." Kovu said.

"Just what are you trying to say?" Ino asked.

"He thinks his point in life is to kill people." Naruto answered. "If this match continues, Sasuke will die."

"Relax Naruto." said Kakashi-sensei. "Everything's gonna be fine. You see, Sasuke and I weren't just goofing around." he added. "There's a reason we were so late getting here."

"A reason that isn't one of your cheap excuses?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, now pay attention." dad answered.

I looked down at the arena and saw a sphere of sand in the middle, and no matter what Sasuke did, he couldn't break it at all. After a few minutes he stood his ground began unbuckling the straps on his arm.

"Sensei, you said there was a good reason you were late." Sakura reminded. "What were you doing?"

Dad sighed. "Right, well that's a long story."

I groaned. "Typical."

"Oh come on already, this is no time for talking!" Naruto exclaimed.

"You're right." dad agreed. "So shut up and watch."

All of us gasped and turned our attention to the arena.

Sasuke lengthened his distance from the sand sphere and, using some of our previous training from the Land of Waves, stood on the wall of the arena.

I watched Sasuke closely and saw him execute three hand signs, Ox → Rabbit → Monkey, and he held his palm downward.

But, that aside, every time I looked down at that sand sphere, I got a twisting feeling in the pit of my stomach that further backed my feeling that something bad was gonna happen, and soon.

I heard the sound of crackling and that turned my attention back to Sasuke, who was now holding a ball of lightning chakra in his hand.

"Dad, is that?" I began to ask.

"Now you know why I insisted on training Sasuke myself." dad cut in. "It's because he's like me."

Sasuke swung his arm back and it actually dented part of the wall. As he ran down and towards Gaara, he tore up the ground where his arm was dragging.

"Amazing, his chakra is actually visible." Sakura gasped.

"But that noise, what technique is that?" Ino asked.

"It's called a jab." Guy-sensei answered. "But this jab is one like no other. It's the only weapon in Kakashi's arsenal that he didn't copy from someone else."

"What seriously?" Choji asked, blinking.

"A jab is a weapon of choice for assassinations. The secret of the jab is in the speed that it's delivered and the ninja's ability to focus his chakra at the point of impact." Guy-sensei informed. "At that point, the chakra actually becomes visible. And the sound it makes is what gives this technique its name; Chidori: One Thousand Birds."

Just as Guy-sensei said that, Sasuke plunged his fist into the sand sphere and I heard it connect with something inside.

"It's also known as Lightning Blade." Guy-sensei added. "It got that name because Kakashi once used it to cut a bolt of lightning in half before it could touch the ground."

"Seriously dad?" Kovu questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"But whether called Thousand Birds or Lightning Blade, the technique is extremely difficult to master, requiring almost inhuman levels of speed and chakra." Guy-sensei went on. "And it's also extremely dangerous."

"Yeah, you're one to talk." dad said to Guy-sensei. He then looked down to Lee, "Right Lee?"

I rolled my eyes, and then caught the scent of something metallic.

"_Is that what I think it is?" _I asked Helena. If I ended up being right, then we were gonna be in serious trouble.

"_Yeah, I smell it too." _Helena replied. Well damn then.

Aside from the smell of blood, I also had a sense that something was happening inside that sphere. So to figure out exactly what the hell was going on, I focused my chakra and activated my demon eyes just to see inside that sphere.

I could see some kind of transformations going on inside, and I faintly saw the glow of Sasuke's lightning chakra. Sasuke added more power to his Chidori and as he did, Gaara let out this blood curtailing scream.

I broke my jutsu and took a step back. As I focused back on the fight, I saw this arm reach out of the sphere and it slowly receded back inside.

"_What the hell is that?" _I whimpered.

"_Trouble with a capital 'T'." _Helena answered.

* * *

The sand sphere broke and Gaara stood with his hand over his shoulder, blood running over it.

"Woah, Sasuke actually got him." Shikamaru gasped.

I nodded in agreement. But still, I had this twisting knot in my stomach that kept making me feel like something was gonna happen.

Then, a feeling of calmness and serenity washed over me, and I knew something was up. And that was made all the more clear when Shikamaru collapsed next to me. I caught his body as it fell and I slowly laid him down. I rolled up his jacket as a pillow and laid his head on it.

"_Someone just cast a Genjutsu." _Helena told me.

"_Yeah, I probably guessed that." _I replied. I clasped my hands together and pointed both index and middle fingers up. "Release." and the drowsy feeling vanished.

Dad and Guy-sensei both noticed the Genjutsu, as did Sakura and Kovu. Then, an explosion sounded from where Lord Hokage and the Kazekage were seated. Anbu Black Ops members sprang up from all over points in the audience and headed to where Lord Hokage was.

"_Our instincts were right on." _Helena said. _"Something bad is about to happen…"_

* * *

Next time…

**Helena**: That feeling we've had since this morning has finally come to pass.

**Kristin**: But what the hell is going on?

**Helena**: Nothing good, that's all I can say. Next time: **Zero Hour! The Destruction of the Hidden Leaf Villages Begins!**

**Kristin**: Let's just hope we can survive what's to come.

* * *

**A/N: **Well ya'll, the Chunin Exam Arc is officially done! Now the Invasion of Konoha Arc is gonna be shorter than it is in the anime, and it's gonna focus more on the fight against Gaara and Shukaku. And, there are aspects that I have added that I hope you all will like. Well review please^^


	50. Zero Hour!

**Zero Hour! The Destruction of the Hidden Leaf Villages Begins!**

* * *

A feeling of calmness and serenity washed over me, and I knew something was up. And that was made all the more clear when Shikamaru collapsed next to me. I caught his body as it fell and I slowly laid him down. I rolled up his jacket and used it as a pillow and laid his head on it.

"_Someone just cast a Genjutsu." _Helena told me.

"_Yeah, I probably guessed that." _I replied. I clasped my hands together and pointed both index and middle fingers up. "Release." and the drowsy feeling vanished.

Dad and Guy-sensei both noticed the Genjutsu, as did Sakura and Kovu. Then, an explosion sounded from where Lord Hokage and the Kazekage were seated. Anbu Black Ops members sprang up from all over points in the audience and headed to where Lord Hokage was.

"_Our instincts were right on." _Helena said. _"Something bad is about to happen…"_

* * *

Once the smoke cleared from the rooftop, I saw a purple barrier surrounding a large portion of the roof. As I focused harder, I could make out four shinobi standing at each corner of the barrier, and inside of it, the Kazekage held a kunai knife to Lord Hokage's neck.

"They outwitted the Anbu Black Ops." dad noted. "And the Anbu are supposed to be the best."

"Here I thought Sunagakure was our ally." Kovu pointed out.

"Well, I guess they decided to dissolve the alliance." I rebuked.

Another Anbu member appeared at the base of the stairs. He clasped his hands together, and in a swift motion, four other shinobi appeared, two on either side of him.

"Sound shinobi." I muttered, noticing the symbol on their forehead protectors.

"An enemy masquerading as Anbu Black Ops." dad added, narrowing his eyes.

Kovu and I stood side by side a few steps behind our father.

"So he was the one who cast the Genjutsu." Guy deducted.

"_If there's Otogakure shinobi here, that can only mean one thing." _Helena said.

I nodded. _"Orochimaru." _I mentally muttered. _"So the snake has finally slithered out of its den and somehow convinced the Sand shinobi to turn against the Leaf and help him invade us."_

"_But what could his motive be?" _Helena asked.

I gulped. The answer I could come up with was Sasuke, but, somehow I knew it had to be more than that.

My gaze drifted to the arena and I saw Kankurō, Temari, and their sensei down with Gaara. Their sensei was staring down Genma, who stood in front of Sasuke. A rush of wind flew past me and I saw a pale blue and white fox jump down and land behind Sasuke. It's rider dismounted and that's when I saw it was Shikara Nara, Shikamaru's older cousin. Shikara stood next to Genma and stared down the Sand shinobi.

From where I stood I couldn't hear much of what was being said, so I went by facial expressions. The Sand Jōnin gave an order and the three genin left the arena. Genma's mouth moved slightly and Sasuke went to follow the Suna genin.

But, the Suna Jōnin threw three kunai knives, only for them to be blocked by the summoned fox's long tail.

"_Wind style, interesting." _Helena complimented.

I saw a smirk creep across Shikara's face as she scraped her thumb against her teeth. She quickly executed the sequence of hand signs for the summoning technique and slammed her palm down. In a puff of smoke, a red fox with spiked fur on its head, with black tips, and black paws appeared behind Shikara and Genma. The wind natured fox stood beside it.

"_Huh, Wind and Fire foxes." _Helena noted.

As I looked closer I saw the red and black furred fox had the kanji for fire tattooed on its forehead and the blue and white fox had the kanji for wind tattooed on its cheek. And from the body features, the wind fox was female and fire fox was male.

"Sasuke." I heard dad mutter.

"_Where could he be going at a time like this?" _I asked myself. _"Why would he be chasing after Gaara? Is finishing his match really that important?"_

"_Hate to disappoint ya sweetheart, it's the real thing this time." _Helena corrected.

* * *

I inched closer to my brother, and stared down the four Oto shinobi in front of us. I gulped.

"Kakashi, Guy!" Satsuki called, running up to us.

"What is it Satsuki?" Guy asked her.

"More Sound and Sand shinobi have started attacking the front gates of the village, and trailing them was a giant three-headed boa." she answered, standing next to the two Jōnin. "It's just as we've feared, it's a full out invasion."

"We've been careless." Guy muttered. "And now even Lord Hokage has been taken hostage."

The three Jōnin looked up at the rooftop barrier, and Guy-sensei gasped. "Kakashi, Satsuki, look there, inside the barrier." he pointed upwards.

Satsuki-sensei gasped and put a hand to her mouth. "It can't be." she whimpered, her green eyes widening.

"Orochimaru." my father said, bluntly.

"Orochimaru!" Sakura and I gasped in unison.

"_Why the hell is he here?" _I whimpered.

"_I'll give you one guess." _Helena replied.

I gasped and remembered the first encounter with him in the Forest of Death.

* * *

{Flashback}

"Who are you!? What do you want?" Sasuke yelled.

The strange ninja, who's headband symbol had changed from the Kusa symbol, to the Oto symbol, the Hidden Sound symbol, held up the scroll he took from Naruto. "My name is Orochimaru." he introduced, igniting our Heaven scroll. "As for what I want, you'll figure it out when you finish this test with the best score of all."

"The scroll." Sakura and I gasped.

"First you will have to defeat the three Sound ninja who serve me." Orochimaru added.

"We have no idea what you're talking about!" I screamed.

"If you're finished with us, then beat it!" Sakura added.

I clenched my hands into fists, "If we ever meet again it'll be too soon." I growled.

"Oh I assure you, he and I will meet again." Orochimaru chuckled, forming a hand sign that was unfamiliar to me. Then, his neck became like rubber and he latched his fangs right into Sasuke's neck.

Sakura and I gasped in unison, "Sasuke!"

Orochimaru pulled away, smiling and licking his lips. "I just gave him a parting gift." he said. "Pretty soon, Sasuke will seek me out, desiring more power. In meantime, I enjoyed seeing the powers he already posses." and with that, Orochimaru disappeared.

Sasuke collapsed on his knees, gasping. I caught him, trying to sooth him. "Sasuke." I whimpered, tears falling down from my eyes.

He was yelling in pain, and he didn't look well either. It pained me to see my best friend like this, and there was nothing I could do.

{End Flashback}

* * *

A sound ninja came up from behind me and I was too late to dodge. I braced myself for an injury, but instead heard a grunt of pain and the sound of a body tumbling down the stairs. I opened my eyes and saw my father standing in front of me.

He turned around to face me, "Kristin dear, why don't you just stand there and let me trim the enemies numbers down to size." he told me, smiling.

I nodded. "Sure thing, sensei." I replied.

And dad leapt into action, slicing at various ninja that attacked him. Pretty soon sounds of kunai knives clanking against each other followed by grunts of pain filled the arena. I heard the sound of footsteps approaching from the side and saw one Sound shinobi aiming to attack Naruto and Shikamaru, who were both still asleep from the Genjutsu.

On reflex, I pulled a kunai knife from my holster and blocked the Oto shinobi's attack. He was much stronger than I was, so it was pretty difficult to hold him off for long.

Then, Satsuki-sensei appeared behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding both sides of his head.

"Now, let me show you what happens when you mess with the Hidden Leaf Village." Satsuki said, smiling. In a flash, she twisted the shinobi's head, breaking his neck easily. His eyes rolled back into his head and his body fell limp. Satsuki-sensei tossed him aside like it was nothing.

I gasped. "Thanks Satsuki-sensei." I said, sheathing my kunai.

"Not a problem sweetie, leave these guys to us Jōnin." Satsuki winked at me and jumped into the battle.

I made my way to stand next to the booth Sakura sat in.

"Kristin, he's gone." she told me, her eyes on the arena field. "Sasuke's gone."

"Yeah, and I have no idea where he went off too." I replied, leaning against the seat.

Down in the arena, Genma and Shikara were staring down the Sand Sibling's Jōnin sensei, with Shikara's two foxes ready to attack. Shikara snapped her fingers and her Fire Fox unleashed a powerful fire jutsu, surrounding them in a circle of fire.

While a fight was sure to ensure down there, the three Jōnin sensei were discarding sound shinobi left and right, with Satsuki-sensei breaking as many necks as she could. I braced myself against the seat, trying to stay out of the fight and leaving it up to my father, Guy-sensei, and Satsuki-sensei.

* * *

My dad took a protective stance in front of Sakura and myself.

"It was worth teaching you Genjutsu training for the Genin exam." he said to Sakura. "You truly do have a talent for it. I want both of you to release the Genjutsu, and wake Naruto and Shikamaru."

I turned my head over my shoulder and saw both boys still unconscious by the back wall.

"Naruto will be delighted, he'll be getting a mission after all this time." dad added. "But be careful, it's your first A-rank assignment since the Land of Waves."

Sakura and I gasped and exchanged glances with each other, gulping.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Kristin**: A New A-ranked mission?

**Sakura**: I wonder what exactly it could be.

**Naruto**: Does it really matter? This is gonna be easy as instant ramen!

**Shikamaru**: To me, this whole thing sounds like a total drag.

**Choji**: This whole mission seems pretty dangerous for just us genin to handle.

**Helena**: Next time: **Village in Distress: A New A-Ranked Mission!**

**Naruto**: Let's get busy kickin ass and takin names!


	51. A New A-Ranked Mission!

**Village in Distress: A New A-Ranked Mission!**

* * *

My dad took a protective stance in front of Sakura and myself.

"It was worth teaching you Genjutsu training for the Genin exam." he said to Sakura. "You truly do have a talent for it. I want both of you to release the Genjutsu, and wake Naruto and Shikamaru."

I turned my head over my shoulder and saw both boys still unconscious by the back wall.

"Naruto will be delighted, he'll be getting a mission after all this time." dad added. "But be careful, it's your first A-rank assignment since the Land of Waves."

Sakura and I gasped and exchanged glances with each other, gulping.

* * *

A sound ninja came up from nowhere and Kovu knocked it out of the way, knocking him unconscious.

"Sensei, why are you sending us off on some mission?" Sakura asked.

"Sasuke is going after Gaara and the other Sand ninja." dad answered, slicing the underside of his thumb with his kunai knife, drawing a little blood. "You two release the Genjutsu, wake Naruto and Shikamaru, and follow Sasuke." he ordered.

"But then, shouldn't we wake Ino and Choji and go in a group?" I asked, "Since our squads do work well together."

"There isn't any time, you have to move quickly, and you'll just barely be pushing the limit on how many squad members to have for a basic patrol unit." dad rebuked, executing a familiar sequence of hand signs and slamming his hand down on the booth in front of him.

In a puff a smoke appeared a small, pug-like dog with brown fur and a dark brown snout and ears, wearing a blue vest with the heno-heno-moheji seal and a Konoha headband on top of his head and bandages on his front, right leg.

Dad then grabbed my hand, cut the underside of my left thumb and executed the same sequence with my left hand and his right.

"Dad, what the hell?" I asked as he slammed my palm down on the back of the booth in front of me.

In another puff of smoke appeared a puppy with white fur, crystal blue eyes, wearing the standard Konoha headband around her neck, and black bandages around all four of her legs.

"Pakkun and Angel will help you guys by tracking Sasuke's scent." dad told us.

"Seriously, you're sending puppies to help us out?" Sakura questioned, a look of confusion on her face.

Pakkun jumped over to her and looked her square in the eyes, "Now listen little girl, don't just go referring to me as just some cute puppy." he scolded.

"_But, she didn't even say cute." _Helena corrected.

I sighed, "Look sensei I know the standard rules for patrol units, but this is not some standard situation." I pointed out. "And you taught me to always trust my instincts and they're telling me I'm gonna at least need Choji for this as well."

I gave my dad a pleading look and he sighed in defeat. "Fine, just be quick about it."

I clasped my hands together, focusing my chakra. "Release." I muttered. I tapped Choji's forehead and he awoke, blinking.

"What the-where am I?" I asked, rubbing his eyes.

I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down. "We're going on a mission Choji, now c'mon." I motioned for him to follow me.

* * *

Angel trotted beside me as we crawled up the stairs. I looked back at Sakura, "I'll wake Shikamaru, you wake Naruto."

"Alright." Sakura replied, nodding her head.

I smiled and crawled over to where Shikamaru was laying. His back was facing me and his head rested on his folded jacket.

"Kristin, what the hell is going on here?" Choji asked me.

"Basically, the Sound and Sand villages are invading us, and Orochimaru is leading the charge." I answered, looking at him. "Sasuke left the arena chasing after Gaara and his teammates, and we've been ordered to follow him."

"We?" Choji questioned.

"Sakura, myself, you, Naruto, and Shikamaru." I clarified. "Something is just telling me that I need both you and Shikamaru, just in case the worst happens."

Sakura released the genjutsu on Naruto and gave me a nod, which I returned.

"Get down!" Kovu called, and I instinctively crouched over Shikamaru, and Choji crouched over me.

I got up and realized my face was inches from his, and my bangs touched his cheek. I moved up off him and clasped my hands together, both index fingers up. "Release."

But when I went to tap his forehead, I saw his eyebrow twitch, and my face sunk. "Shikamaru, you were faking this entire time?" I grumbled.

Pakkun walked over and bit on Shikamaru's leg. Five seconds later, Shikamaru shot up, shaking his leg to get Pakkun off.

"You released Genjutsu too you faker!" I growled. "Why were you pretending to be asleep this whole time?"

Shikamaru scuffed Pakkun by the fur on his neck and sighed. "I didn't want to get involved." he answered, pulling on Pakkun's jowls. "Give me a break, I couldn't care less about any of this."

Pakkun latched onto Shikamaru's hand, causing my best friend to throw it up. I hit Shikamaru in the forehead with my right index and middle finger.

"Sasuke's your friend, therefore you're involved whether you like it or not." I reminded. Then I reached up and grabbed Pakkun, "Release boy."

Pakkun released his grip on Shikamaru's hand, and whimpered when I pulled him down.

"Oto, six o'clock!" Angel shrieked.

I turned around and saw a Sound shinobi coming right toward us. Shikamaru pushed me down to the ground just as Kovu intercepted the Oto shinobi. He had black, jagged marks all over his exposed skin, symbolizing his Stage One Demon Seal.

"No one attacks my little sister when her back is turned." he warned, lacing his arms around the ninja's neck. In a fluid motion, he twisted it and the shinobi fell limp on the ground.

I turned my head away and flinched. "I know it's the influence of the Demon Seal and all, but did you have to break his neck right in front of me?"

"You wanted to be a shinobi sis?" he questioned. "Well welcome to the club." he smirked.

I rolled my eyes and looked up, and was met with Shikamaru's face an inch or less from mine. I felt my cheeks flush and cleared my throat.

"Uh Shikamaru, can you please get off me now?" I asked, nicely. "I kinda can't move my leg."

Shikamaru pushed himself up and chuckled, "Right, sorry. Reflexes I guess." he apologized.

He pulled me to a sitting position and that's when I realized I was still holding Pakkun, who was crushed against my chest.

"Jeez kid, don't grip so hard." Pakkun grumbled, coughing.

"Sorry Pakkun." I apologized.

"Naruto, behind you!" Sakura warned, just as another Sound Shinobi was coming at us.

Then, in another instant, the Sound shinobi was pinned against the back wall by Guy-sensei.

"So-fast." he muttered.

Guy-sensei smiled. "Not just fast, but handsome too." he applied more pressure to his fist and pushed the shinobi through the wall.

* * *

My dad and Kovu appeared in front of us.

"Now, I'll explain the mission to you." dad said. "First you are to track down Sasuke and stop him. Then find a safe location and await further orders, that's your mission."

"What happened to Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"I'll fill you in on the way, now let's go." Sakura said, grabbing Naruto's arm and pulling him out through the opening in the wall.

"And boys," Kovu added, referring to Shikamaru and Choji. "We're trusting you to watch Kristin's back. If anything happens to her, I'll hold both of you responsible."

I scoffed. "Nice bro." I rolled my eyes.

"And Kristin, only use that jutsu as a last resort." dad added.

I nodded. "I know daddy, I know."

"Come on kids." Pakkun ordered, jumping out of the hole, Angel on his heels.

"Bossy little guy isn't he?" Choji pointed out.

"No kidding." Shikamaru agreed.

I grabbed both their arms, "C'mon boys, let's go." I said, jumping out of the hole and pulling them with me.

* * *

We ran down the forest path with the two ninja hounds up front, leading us. I glanced up at the sky and saw two rainbows encircling the sun above, and I got another ominous feeling.

"_Whatever happens, I've got your back." _Helena reminded.

"_Only as a last resort will I unleash you." _I told her, biting my lip.

Helena just chuckled and grinned, baring her fangs.

"Oh, now I get it." Naruto said, after Sakura finished on cluing him in. "I guess Sasuke had to get all impatient."

"So why drag us into this?" Choji asked. "Sasuke's your teammate, not ours."

"This whole thing is such a drag." Shikamaru complained.

"It can't be helped okay, it's Kakashi-sensei's orders." Sakura reminded.

"And when a Jōnin gives you orders, you follow them." I added. "Those are the rules of being a ninja."

Pakkun sniffed the air, "This way kids." he said, jumping into the trees to the right of us.

"Right." we all said in unison, following him and Angel.

* * *

As we leapt across the tree branches I kept glancing at Shikamaru and Choji, who were both on either side of me, and I felt almost guilty for dragging them into this for my own selfish reasons.

"_If that thing from before manages to awaken again, I may just have to unleash my full powers, and hopefully having them there will be just enough to keep me in control." _I thought, glancing from Choji back to Shikamaru. _"And since he volunteered to be my anchor, I can only hope he doesn't get killed because of me. I'll never be able to forgive myself."_

I took a deep breath and sighed, looking ahead at my two teammates in front of me. I had to prepare for the worst case scenario, and that meant the possibility of unleashing Helena from her confinements in my subconscious mind and letting her aid me on the battlefield, should the worst come to pass.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Naruto**: Damn, those ninja chasing us are just so fast.

**Choji**: We'll never outrun them.

**Shikamaru**: If they catch us, then that'll be it.

**Sakura**: So what do we do?

**Naruto**: I vote we ambush them and kill them before they can kill us.

**Shikamaru**: We might not win, even if we pull off the ambush successfully.

**Naruto**: Quit being negative, I don't see you coming up with any ideas.

**Shikamaru**: Well I have one in mind.

**Helena**: Next time: **A Shirker's Call to Action: Layabout No More! **

**Shikamaru**: This is really not my style, but I guess I have no choice.

**Kristin**: Shikamaru, what are you planning to do?

* * *

**A/N: **Surprise guys! A double feature. Sorry if the chapters are a bit short, I'll try to make them a bit longer in the future, I just wanted to get these two up to kick off the **Invasion of Konoha** arc of my story. From here on out i'll be adding a bit more original aspects as well as hints and foreshadowing to future events and such^^ Review please.

XOXO~Cyber


	52. Layabout No More!

**A Shirker's Call to Action: Layabout No More! **

* * *

As we leapt across the tree branches I kept glancing at Shikamaru and Choji, who were both on either side of me, and I felt almost guilty for dragging them into this for my own selfish reasons.

"_If that thing from before manages to awaken again, I may just have to unleash my full powers, and hopefully having them there will be just enough to keep me in control." _I thought, glancing from Choji back to Shikamaru. _"And since he volunteered to be my anchor, I can only hope he doesn't get killed because of me. I'll never be able to forgive myself."_

I took a deep breath and sighed, looking ahead at my two teammates in front of me. I had to prepare for the worst case scenario, and that meant the possibility of unleashing Helena from her confinements in my subconscious mind and letting her aid me on the battlefield, should the worst come to pass.

* * *

Pakkun sniffed the air and led us in another direction, and for a stubby little dog, he was pretty fast.

"How long until we catch up Pakkun?" I asked.

"Don't know, a long time if they keep moving at this pace." Pakkun answered.

"Oh c'mon." Naruto grumbled.

I bit my lip in frustration.

"Hurry it up kids." Pakkun ordered. "Step on it."

"Bossy little mutt." Choji mumbled.

"Pakkun, what is it?" I asked.

"Did you find Sasuke?" Naruto followed.

"No, but there's two squads behind us, that's eight ninja." Pakkun informed. "No wait, there's one more. That's nine ninja following us."

"What, seriously?" Sakura questioned.

"And Kakashi-sensei was giving us crap because our squad was a bit big." Choji reminded.

"Give me a break here." Shikamaru groaned.

I focused my senses and could feel the ninja closing in on us. "Guys, we better put an extra spring in our step just to lengthen the gap between us and them." I told them.

We all sent a little bit of chakra to the soles of our feet for a burst of speed, and that put a little bit more ahead of the nine shinobi following us.

* * *

"It seems like they haven't discovered our location yet." Pakkun said. "But we need to figure out a way to loose them."

"How do we do that?" Choji asked.

"Follow my lead." Pakkun answered, jumping down from the branches and landing on the forest pathway.

"What do we do now?" Naruto asked.

"Keep quiet and follow me." Pakkun barked, backing up over his paw prints. "If we go back over our tracks, they'll seem to disappear. And that might distract our pursuers long enough so we can be far ahead of them before they catch on."

We followed what Pakkun did and back flipped onto the branch behind us.

"They have to be pretty lame ninja to fall for this." Naruto giggled.

"Hurry up Naruto!" I called.

"We don't have all day here." Sakura added.

Naruto quickly joined us and we went back to pursuing Sasuke.

* * *

A few minutes later, Angel sniffed the air and whimpered. "Uh guys, our little trick didn't work." she said. "They're back on our trail, and gaining ground."

"Be prepared for an ambush kids." Pakkun ordered.

"Great, they're probably all Chūnin or higher in rank." Shikamaru pointed out. "We'll be wiped out if they catch us."

I rolled my eyes, "Wow what a nice jolt of optimism, Shikamaru." I said sarcastically, looking at him. "You defiantly know how to lighten the mood."

"Hey, I'm just being realistic here." Shikamaru defended.

"Yeah, but you being realistic sure sounds like being negative to me." I pointed out.

"She does have a point." Choji agreed.

"Look you guys, I don't really see any other option here but to ambush them before they ambush us." Naruto voted.

"An ambush?" Sakura repeated. "That could work. Even if there are twice as many of them as there are us, if we could just catch them off guard…"

"No, it won't work." Pakkun cut in.

"And why the hell not?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm afraid that the ninja chasing us are Orochimaru's henchmen." Pakkun answered. "My guess is, they're all Jōnin level."

Shikamaru gritted his teeth, "I really thought the ambush plan would work, but I guess not."

"Why not?" Choji asked, looking over at him. "The level of an opponent doesn't really have much to do with an ambush, does it?"

Shikamaru groaned, "Let me explain it. Yes, an ambush is a key battle tactic and can be very beneficial, but only if two certain conditions are met." he said.

"So what are the conditions?" I asked, looking at him.

"Yeah, tell us and we'll meet them." Naruto added.

Shikamaru held up his left index finger, "Number one; the ninja on the run must be completely quiet and must find the enemy first." he added his middle finger, "Number two; they must catch their pursuers off guard and lead them to an area where they can do a lot of damage quickly, and then conceal themselves just as quickly."

We all nodded to show we understood.

"And it's only under those two conditions that an ambush can truly be effective." Shikamaru went on. "Now the first condition is easily met because the ninja hounds' noses can sniff out the enemy." he added. "And the second condition also happens to be in our favor since we know the geography of our village like we know the backs of our hands."

We all kept up pace so we wouldn't slow down and let the enemy shinobi catch up to us.

"However," Shikamaru went on, "Orochimaru is a former Leaf ninja." he reminded. "So on the second condition, we're out of luck."

"We are?" Choji questioned.

"What makes you say that Shikamaru?" I asked, meeting his eyes.

"Our pursuers have studied the layout of this village, and I have to assume they've been put through simulated battle tactics." Shikamaru answered. "And we can all but assume they're probably masters of the pursuit jutsu."

"So basically they know all the cards we're holding." Sakura pointed out.

"Well, I suppose an ambush could give us an advantage, but so many things are uncertain." Shikamaru added. "This unit was put together specifically for this operation, and what are the seven of us?" he questioned, looking in our direction. "A fool," Naruto shot him a glare, "a Kunoichi with no particular talents," Sakura shot daggers at him, "a mutt," Pakkun let out a small growl, "a ninja who thinks more with his stomach than his head," Choji narrowed his eyes in Shikamaru's direction, "a puppy," Angel yipped, "a Kunoichi with an alternant personality with homicidal tendencies," I shot him a glare and Helena growled, "and me, the shirker who doesn't even wanna be here." he finished listing us off in the most negative fashion.

"_He's one to be pointing out our flaws, when he's the laziest person I've ever met." _Helena growled. _"And I've met a lot of people in my time."_

Shikamaru sighed, "Look, tactics are all about figuring out your enemies motives and formulating the best plan of counterattack." he reminded us. "And right now, only one plan makes sense. Just one."

"And that only option is?" Sakura prided.

"A trap that only looks like it's an ambush." Shikamaru answered. "So one of us is gonna have to stay behind and slow them down."

"So one of us will be a decoy?" Choji questioned.

"That's right, if one of us can delay them, they won't be able to follow the rest of us." Shikamaru replied.

"But won't that be kinda dangerous? I mean it'll be one Genin against nine Jōnin." Choji asked, worry in his voice.

"Yes, the one who acts as the decoy will probably…die." Shikamaru answered.

* * *

Everyone suddenly stopped on the next few branches that were only inches apart, and we all stood motionless. Each of us contemplating on who would risk their lives to be the decoy so the rest of us could go on with the mission.

I gulped, "So…" I muttered, clutching the cloth of my skirt, bunching it up. "Who's gonna do it?"

No one immediately answered. No doubt it was because we were all scared. I mean, who in their right mind wouldn't be? These guys were Orochimaru's subordinates, so they were bound to be incredibly strong and ruthless. And the lot of us were just Genin, still Rookies as far as we're concerned.

"We need the dogs to follow Sasuke's scent." Shikamaru pointed out, "So that means one us is gonna have to stay behind."

I looked ahead of me and saw Naruto clenching his fists, "I guess I'll be the one who'll-" he started to say.

"I'm the only one who can do it." Shikamaru cut in.

"Shikamaru!" I gasped, looking directly at him, although his back was towards me.

"Why does it have to be you?" Choji asked.

"It's better than all of us being wiped out, right?" Shikamaru chuckled lightly. "I'm the only one who's capable of pulling off this decoy act." he added. He jumped and backflipped in mid-air, landing on the branch behind the one Choji and I were standing on. "And of surviving this attack." he added. Shikamaru turned his head back over his shoulder and looked at the rest of us. "After all, 'Shadow Possession Jutsu', was invented as a delay tactic. I'll catch up with you guys later."

I clenched my hands into fists and jumped onto the branch he was standing on. "What if something happens and you're not there?" I asked in a hushed whisper.

"Then you'll just have to use it without me there." he answered, turning his face to look at me.

I could feel the tears welling in my eyes. "But what if I loose control and-"

Shikamaru took my hand in his and interlocked our fingers, "I believe you'll be just fine." he cut in, turning his body so he was standing directly opposite me. "And to help you out, if only a little," he used his other hand and undid my headband that was around my waist, and put it in his ninja pouch. He then pulled out his own headband and tied it around my neck, "keep this on so that a part of me is still with you, and that should be enough to keep you in control."

He pulled the headband tight around my neck and his arms fell down to his sides. I reached up and touched the symbol etched into the metal plate.

"Thank you." I whimpered, feeling tears fall down my cheeks. I took my headband from his ninja pouch and tied it tightly around his left bicep.

I put my thumb and index finger to my lips and let out a whistle, calling for Angel, who jumped back and landed at my feet. "Yes Kristin?" she asked, her head cocked to the side.

I smiled down at her, "Once this whole decoy ambush is over and done, you can help Shikamaru meet up with us by tracking my scent."

Angel nodded her head. "You got it." he little tail whipped back and forth.

I looked up into Shikamaru's eyes and smiled. "Just be careful okay?" I asked, "Please."

Shikamaru smiled back and pulled me into his chest, his arms latched around my waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck and laid my head in the nape of it, gripping him tightly.

"I will, I promise." he whispered in my ear. "And just know that I believe in you."

I sniffled, "I just can't loose you." I admitted, tightening my grip around his neck.

"You never will, I promised you remember." he reminded, chuckling. "I'll always be here for you. Never will you be without me."

I leaned into him and heard his heartbeat clearly. The rhythm was nice and steady, and in that moment, I felt so calm and so secure, I didn't want it to end. But, I knew we had a mission to complete, so I pulled away and looked into Shikamaru's eyes.

He brushed the tears from eyes and put his right thumb and index finger right under my chin, tilting my face a little higher. Shikamaru planted a kiss on my forehead and his lips lingered there for a few seconds, and his left hand clasped my right hand and interlocked our fingers. I closed my eyes and took in this moment.

"I'll see you soon, I promise." he whispered, brushing his nose against mine.

"I'll hold you too that." I replied, looking into his brown eyes. "Thank you," I added, placing a kiss on his cheek, "for everything."

I jumped back to the branch where Choji was and turned my body so that my head was looking over my shoulder. Shikamaru turned so his back was to the rest of us.

"We're counting on you Shikamaru," Naruto said.

He raised his hand back as if to wave goodbye.

"Choji, girls." Naruto muttered, and we all looked at him. His eyes quivered but his overall expression read he was ready to move out.

I cast one more glance back at Shikamaru and met his eyes for a brief second. He winked at me like he did when he stood up for me in the Forest of Death, and I took that as reassurance for everything he just told me.

* * *

The rest of us went on ahead and I felt more tears coming, _"Just please be careful Shikamaru." _I thought, closing my eyes. _"I don't what I would do if I ever lost you. You're the best friend I've ever had, you believe in me even when I don't believe in myself."_

I wiped the tears from my eyes and picked up the pace. "Okay guys, let's get a new formation going." I said, sternly. "Naruto, you're gonna take the rear guard, Choji you're gonna flank my left and Sakura my right."

"Got it." Sakura agreed.

Naruto and Choji changed locations and I took point, right behind Pakkun.

"Why are you taking lead Kris?" Naruto asked me in groaning voice.

I smiled, "Well I am Kakashi-sensei's daughter after all." I reminded, giggling.

"She does make a point." Sakura said, backing me up.

"Okay, less arguing and more tailing." Pakkun barked, picking up speed.

The four of us genin rolled our eyes and followed Pakkun as he tracked Sasuke.

* * *

Pakkun sniffed the air, "Uh-oh, bad news guys." he admitted. "It looks like those ninja are still on our tails."

Sakura gasped. "Don't tell me Shikamaru just ran away."

I smirked, "Shikamaru's fine, trust me." I rebuffed her. "Sure he may be lazy and complain about everything, but he would never betray us."

"How can you be so sure Kris?" Naruto asked me.

"Because, and don't take this personally or anything, but…" I closed my eyes and sighed. "I trust him with my life more than I trust the two of you."

"But we're your teammates." Sakura reminded.

"And Shikamaru's been my best friend for seven years." I replied, raising my voice. "Not only that, but he was the first real friend I ever had." I added, "So believe me when I tell that Shikamaru would never, ever turn his back on us."

Choji nodded. "Sure he may never volunteer to do anything, but whenever he does, he sticks to his promises." he added. "And you guys can take my word for it, since I am his teammate, and best friend as well."

I glanced back at Choji and smiled. Choji winked at me and smiled back.

"Pick up the pace slackers!" Pakkun barked.

We all did and charged forward. I felt the breeze blow through my hair and remembered all the times Shikamaru stood up for me in the past, reassuring me just how much of a loyal friend he was…

* * *

{Flashbacks}

"Shikamaru." I felt tears forming again.

"Just because we're on separate teams, doesn't mean we're still not friends." he replied, turning his face to see me. "I'll always be there for ya, count on it." he gave me a wink and a small smile.

"_Thank you, Shikamaru." _I thought, grateful to see him.

Shikamaru smiled in agreement, "Yeah, what's meant to happen, will." he glanced back at me and winked.

"_Yeah, you haven't changed at all." _I smiled back, trying to ignore the pain in my side.

"Let us handle these guys." Shikamaru said to me. "You just take a rest." he turned his head to look back at me.

I held my hip tighter, not wanting Shikamaru to see the wound. "Just do me a favor?" I asked, closing my eyes.

"Anything." Shikamaru replied.

"Kick their asses." I said, locking eyes with him.

Shikamaru nodded and winked before turning back to face the enemy. _"Thank you, Shikamaru." _I thought.

"Kris, what the hell is goin on?" Shikamaru asked, kneeling in front of me.

I gripped the collar of his mesh t-shirt with my free hand, trying not to collapse. "A piece of advice, one friend to another…" I coughed. "Get the hell outta here. You, Choji, and Ino, go…" I lowered my head so I wouldn't cough blood on Shikamaru.

Shikamaru placed his hand on my shoulder, rubbing it. He then moved it under my chin, lifting my face to meet his. "We won't be far, okay?" he said, wiping the blood from my mouth.

I nodded. He leaned down and kissed my forehead before running for the bushes to take cover.

"_Now that that's all over with…" _I thought, my vision blurring. _"time to rest…"_

I felt arms wrap around me, holding me tightly. "Kris, speak to me." the voice belonged to Shikamaru.

I looked up into his eyes and leaned into his shoulder, sighing in relief. "I'm so glad you're alright." tears fell from my eyes.

Shikamaru chuckled, "Me alright? You're the one who has all the bruises." he helped me sit up, and I immediately gripped my side.

"Ah, damn, why won't it go away?" I muttered, wincing at the throbbing pain.

Shikamaru's hand covered mine, "What is it? What's wrong?" he asked, his voice full of worry.

"Dosu." I choked out. "He threw a kunai at me." I replied. "My adrenaline was pumping so fast that I didn't even register the pain until…until you showed up."

I leaned into him for support, gasping for breath. Shikamaru held me tightly, stroking my back.

"How much…how much of the fight did you see before…" I coughed again, and tried to catch my breath.

"Long enough to see your transformation." Shikamaru answered, patting my back.

I closed my eyes and shuddered. "I was hoping you hadn't seen that." I admitted. "I never wanted either of you to see me past Stage One."

My seal regressed and as it did, I felt even more weak than I did before, like all of strength just left me. My hand was still pressed to my wound, and my vision was blurring.

"Hang in there Kris." Shikamaru said to me, holding me against his body, his hand over mine.

Shikamaru lifted me up so my head rested in the crook of his neck. My arms were wrapped around his neck, giving me support. I closed my eyes and took deep, slow breaths. I couldn't explain it but, Shikamaru's scent actually calmed me down.

"Thanks." I muttered.

"No problem." Shikamaru replied. "This is what friends are for."

I looked up at him, "I meant for stepping in when you did. My whole team would be dead if it wasn't for you." I smiled and leaned into him, sighing. "I owe you one, big time Shikamaru."

He chuckled. "That doesn't matter to me." he said. "The only thing that does matter is that you're alive." he moved my hair to the side, draping the uneven lavender locks over my shoulder.

I turned my head and body into him, hugging him. "Thanks for everything. I could never have made it without you."

Shikamaru hugged be back, "Anytime Kris. I'll always be here for you."

I turned to my left and Shikamaru's eyes met mine. "You sure your up for this?"

I nodded, "I'm fine, no pain whatsoever." I told him, meeting his gaze. I knew he would be worried about me since that tussle with the sound ninja, and that was sweet, but I was okay.

Shikamaru placed his hand on my shoulder, still meeting my eyes. "Be careful."

I smiled and placed my hand over his, and nodded. "I will, you know how I can get."

"I do know and that's why I worry." He kissed my cheek, his lips lingering there for a few seconds.

I coughed again and blood spurted from my mouth. I felt myself being turned over and I looked up and Shikamaru was leaning right over me, although my vision was blurring around the edges.

"Shikamaru?" I questioned.

He smiled a little bit and cradled my body, my head rested in the nape of his neck. One arm rested underneath my neck and the other rested under my thighs. Shikamaru rubbed my shoulders, and I felt…content in that moment.

Then I jerked my head up and threw up more blood onto the floor. I used my right arm to grip onto Shikamaru's shoulder to lift myself up. I tasted the iron in my mouth and it lingered there.

I collapsed, my head resting on my best friend's shoulder. I looked up into his eyes, "I lost…didn't I?"

Shikamaru nodded, "Yeah, but you were fantastic." he told me, caressing my cheek.

I smiled weakly, "Yeah…" my vision was getting fuzzier by the second, I knew something was wrong, but my strength was leaving me faster than I could form words.

I took a ragged, shaky breath and coughed again.

"C'mon Kris, stay with me." Shikamaru told me, cradling me closer to him.

I gripped his upper bicep, gripping the fabric of his jacket. "I can't…" I whimpered, feeling tears come to my eyes.

"Yes you can, c'mon." Shikamaru moved to help me stand, but I halted him by tightening my grip.

"No I…I can't feel my legs." I admitted, and it was true. I couldn't feel my lower body at all.

Shikamaru looked at me with wide eyes. "You can move your arms right?" he asked. I nodded. "Okay, wrap them around my neck, c'mon."

"I'm so cold." I whimpered, turning my head into his chest.

"Here." Shikamaru shrugged his jacket off and draped it over my shoulders, and I slid my arms through the sleeves. "Now wrap your arms around my neck." I did so, gripping as tightly as I could. "Now easy. Nice and easy." he whispered, slowly lifting me into his arms and standing up. His arms rested under my knees and the middle of my back.

I kept my arms laced around his neck and my head buried in the nape of it. Shikamaru leaned down and kissed my forehead, "Stay with me Kris."

Shikamaru tightened his grip and set me on the stretcher, but I kept my arms locked around his neck. Shikamaru smiled down at me and planted a kiss on my forehead. I let my arms fall from his neck and they landed at my sides. The only thing that was keeping me upright were Shikamaru's arms around my upper back.

"I promise you, as soon as the Preliminaries are over, Choji and I will come see you." he told me, looking into my eyes. He moved one hand to cup my cheek, "I promise."

The last thing I remember is someone placing a kiss on my forehead and cupping my face. His lips were soft and his touch was gentle…and then…everything disappeared into darkness.

Shikamaru smiled back and pulled me into his chest, his arms latched around my waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck and laid my head in the nape of his neck, gripping him tightly.

"I will, I promise." he whispered in my ear. "And just know that I believe in you."

I sniffled, "I just can't loose you." I admitted, tightening my grip around his neck.

"You never will, I promised you remember." he reminded, chuckling. "I'll always be here for you. Never will you be without me."

I leaned into him and heard his heartbeat clearly. The rhythm was nice and steady, and in that moment, I felt so calm and so secure, I didn't want it to end. But, I knew we had a mission to complete, so I pulled away and looked into Shikamaru's eyes.

He brushed the tears from eyes and put his right thumb and index finger right under my chin, tilting my face a little higher. Shikamaru planted a kiss on my forehead and his lips lingered there for a few seconds, and his left hand clasped my right hand and interlocked our fingers. I closed my eyes and took in this moment.

"I'll see you soon, I promise." he whispered, brushing his nose against mine.

{End Flashbacks}

* * *

I gripped the headband around my necks and tried to hold the tears back. _"I know he's gonna keep his promise and catch up to us just as soon as he knocks out those shinobi chasing us." _I thought, removing any shred of doubt from my heart.

Pakkun took a sniff and sighed, "Huh, those ninja don't seem to be following us anymore." he pointed out.

"Alright, that means Shikamaru succeeded." Naruto said. "The delay tactic worked."

"Was there ever any doubt?" Choji asked, chuckling.

I giggled, "I told you so." I chided, smiling. I blinked and narrowed my eyes, _"Now just survive and catch up to us when you can, because I strongly believe that I'm gonna need you should I have to use that technique."_

I took a deep breath and sighed, _"As for the matter at hand, Sasuke whatever you do, don't engage Gaara in battle until we find you." _I begged.

Helena scoffed, _"Knowing him, he'll already be in battle by the time we catch up to him." _

I hoped she would be wrong.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Helena**: That chakra again, it can't be.

**Kristin**: Just like what we felt back at the arena.

**Helena**: If Gaara is unleashing that then there's no hope for any of us.

**Kristin**: Next time: **Astonishing Truth; Pushed to the Edge!**

**Helena**: I just hope we can make it in time before that monster is completely unleashed.

* * *

**A/N: **Surprise! Triple feature! I honestly didn't think I would finish this chapter today, but since I did, i'll upload it for you all^^ Hope you enjoy it and review please^

XOXO~Cyber


	53. Astonishing TruthPushed to the Edge

**Astonishing Truth; Pushed to the Edge! **

* * *

I blinked and narrowed my eyes, _"Now just survive and catch up to us when you can, because I strongly believe that I'm gonna need you should I have to use that technique."_

I took a deep breath and sighed, _"As for the matter at hand, Sasuke whatever you do, don't engage Gaara in battle until we find you." _I begged.

Helena scoffed, _"Knowing him, he'll already be in battle by the time we catch up to him." _

I hoped she would be wrong.

* * *

We picked up our speed and were making good time, with Pakkun leading the way I was sure we would catch up to Sasuke in no time at all.

"Uh oh, trouble kids." Pakkun said, stopping on the next tree branch.

Sakura, Choji, and I stopped next to him while Naruto missed it and ran face first into a tree.

"What's big idea?" Naruto yelled, "Why'd you stop so suddenly?"

"Pakkun what did you smell?" I asked him.

"It smells to me that Sasuke is in pursuit of two of the sand ninja, while one is staying behind with someone else." he answered, staring straight ahead.

"Who cares about that, we have to catch up to Sasuke!" Naruto reminded.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked Pakkun.

"The two staying behind are about to fight, I can smell it." Pakkun answered. "Even if it'll cost us some time, we need to go around them."

"I say we charge right on in." Naruto rebuked. "Who cares if they're fighting."

"Naruto, think for once." Choji berated. "We don't have time to get mixed up in someone else's fight."

"No matter how much you might get a kick out of it." Sakura added. "Our mission is to get Sasuke, we can't get caught in the crossfire of some other fight."

"Sakura's right." I agreed, taking a kunai knife from my holster. I walked to the trunk of the tree and carved in an arrow, pointing to the direction we were taking to go around the fight. Then, I slit the center of my palm and wiped my blood across the arrow.

"What's the for Kris?" Naruto asked.

"To show Shikamaru the change in direction we took." I answered, bandaging up my hand. "The blood will also act as a stronger scent sample so Angel could get a better lock on it."

"Nice idea." Choji said, smiling.

"Are you absolutely sure he's following us?" Naruto grumbled.

I shot him a glare, "Yes, now come on." I ordered, following Pakkun, "We have a teammate to catch up to."

We quickly got back in the same formation and followed Pakkun around the fight that was about to take place. The question that I was thinking of was just who exactly was this new shinobi that stepped in to fight one of the sand ninja? And who was the one he, or she, was fighting?

* * *

As we continued to track Sasuke, Helena's seal pulsated and I had to suddenly stop.

"Kristin?" Choji asked, landing at my side. "What's wrong?"

I coughed and gripped my left hip. "Helena's seal, it's pulsating." I said through gritted teeth. "It's like she's trying to warn me about something."

"What is it?" Sakura asked. "Is it Sasuke? Is something wrong with him?"

I shook my head, "No, it's not that." I took slow, shallow breaths.

"_That same chakra we felt at the arena just surfaced again." _Helena told me. _"I think Gaara's about to unleash the Shukaku."_

"_Is he fighting Sasuke now?" _I asked her.

"_I'm afraid so." _she answered. _"And if Gaara let that thing out, Sasuke's gonna need some backup." _

I nodded my head and ignored the pain. "C'mon guys, we've got to move!" I ordered, running forward. "Double time it!"

So we doubled our pace and tried to catch up with Sasuke, before he became Gaara's next victim.

As we continued our pursuit, the pain from my seal intensified, probably because we were that much closer to Sasuke…and Gaara. I flinched as another wave of pain struck me and I remembered my encounter with Gaara at the hospital the day before the Chūnin Exam finals.

* * *

{Flashback}

Gaara still stared at us. "I was going to kill him." he answered, after a few seconds, no emotion in his voice.

"You already beat him once in the competition, wasn't that enough for you?" Shikamaru asked, narrowing his eyes. "Do you have a personal grudge against him or something?"

"I have nothing against him." Gaara replied. "I feel nothing, I simply want to kill him, that's all."

"You're sick in the head!" Naruto yelled, pointing his finger at Gaara. "You're crazy!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, you think we're just gonna let you do what ya want?" Shikamaru added. "You sick, selfish, psycho."

"_I wouldn't taunt him if I were you." _Helena advised, her voice soft.

"If you three don't get out of my way, I'll have to kill you too." Gaara said, his voice flat and emotionless.

"Oh really?" Naruto challenged. "Let's see you try it!"

"Whoa, take it easy there Naruto." I told him, putting my hand on his arm. "You wanna get us killed?"

"Yeah, yeah, we watched your last match against Lee, we know you're tough." Shikamaru said, making me turn my attention to him. "But you know what, there are things you haven't even seen yet from Naruto, Kristin, and myself." he added. "And on top of that, it's three against one. So take my advice and go, quietly."

"I'll say it again, if you get in my way, I'll kill you." Gaara repeated, glaring at us.

"And I'll say it again, I wanna see you try it!" Naruto yelled.

Shikamaru held his hand out, "Whoa, we don't wanna go there." he warned. "This guy fights like he's mad, like he's a demon or something."

Naruto smirked, "He can act like a demon all he wants to, but I got the real thing inside of me."

"_He's not the only one." _Helena chided.

"And so does Kristin for that matter." Naruto added.

"Hey do not drag me into this." I told him, stepping closer to Shikamaru. "I, for one, value my life."

"A demon huh?" Gaara repeated, closing his eyes.

"Huh?" Naruto and I questioned in unison.

"My demon is as real as yours are." Gaara added. He opened his eyes and locked gazes with us. "Before I was born, my father cast his ninjutsu on me, infusing my unborn self with a sand spirit." he said. "I took the life of a woman who gave birth to me. I was born a monster."

"_Sand spirit?" _I thought.

"_It couldn't be." _Helena gasped.

"It's name is Shukaku and it's the living incarnation of an old monk from the sand village who was sealed away in a jar of tea." Gaara informed.

I gulped.

"Yeah, some demonic jutsu." Shikamaru said. "But to use it on a baby, before it's even born? Man that's creepy."

I cast a sideways glance at Naruto, who had a shocked look on his face, that probably mirrored my own.

"_Shukaku, it can't be." _Helena whimpered.

I blinked and in a flash I saw her back into the recesses of my subconscious mind.

"_Is he…like me?" _I thought.

"Gee, he seems like a swell guy. Your dad must've loved you a lot." Shikamaru smirked.

"You speak of love. Don't measure me by your standards." Gaara replied. "Love, family. These words mean nothing to me. The only ties I have to my family, are the ones I want to wrap around their throats. They're only ties of hate."

The three of us gasped. Gaara went on to tell us that even though he was pampered as the child of the Kazekage, since he became six years old, his father tried to have him killed.

A devilish smirk crossed Gaara's face, "Those who become too strong, soon become feared." he said, almost growling. "The jutsu that had been cast unbalanced something in my mind. I became a threat to the very village I was meant to save." he added. "I had failed at the one thing for which I was meant to do. So begged the question, what was left for me, why go on living?"

"I could never find the answer." Gaara admitted. "But in order to live, you need a purpose. To exist for no reason, is the same as being dead. My reason for living was in the killing of others." he said. "It all became clear to me; I fight only for myself, I love only myself. As it was the death of my mother that gave me life, it's the killing of others that sustains it, making me almost happy to be alive."

Gaara stopped by the doorway, "All the same I will kill you." he warned. "I'll kill you all." and he walked out, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.

{End Flashback}

* * *

I shook off the memory and quickened my pace. _"Just hang in there Sasuke, we're coming." _I thought. I cast a glance behind me, _"And Shikamaru, I hope you're on our tail, because I may have no choice but to fully unleash Helena if Gaara has unleashed the Shukaku."_

I took a deep breath and focused on the mission at hand, and quickened my pace once more.

"Slow down Kristin, we'll make it in due time." Pakkun said.

"Pakkun, what I'm sensing, we can't afford to slow down if we want to make it to Sasuke before he's killed." I replied, and that got Sakura and Naruto motivated to catch up to me.

"Let's do this." Naruto voted.

"We're right behind ya Kris." Sakura added.

I smiled at both of my teammates and we all sent some chakra to our feet for another burst of speed, and lunged ahead. Pakkun and Choji were on our heels.

* * *

After pursuing him for what seemed like hours, we finally made it to where Sasuke and Gaara were. What I saw struck me to the core, Gaara was partially transformed into what looked like some creature. The chakra I sensed matched the one I felt in the arena earlier before this whole mess started.

Naruto kicked Gaara square in the face, protecting Sasuke from what could've been a fatal blow.

"Sasuke!" I called, landing next to him.

He was laying facedown on the tree branch and I could see the black flame-like pattern on his neck and arm.

I gasped, "Oh no."

"_He activated the curse mark." _Helena noted.

Sakura landed on the other side of Sasuke while Pakkun landed next to me, and Choji landed behind me. Naruto stood on the leaves in front of us, staring down Gaara.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Kristin**: What the hell is this?

**Helena**: it must be the spirits of me and Shukaku resonating. We're looking at Gaara's past, why he's like this.

**Kristin**: Wow, he did have a rough childhood. So sad, I almost feel sorry for him.

**Helena**: Next time: **Assassin of the Moonlit Night. **

**Kristin**: Although, I'm starting to feel a little lightheaded…and everything's beginning to blur…

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry that it's a bit shorter than the other chapters, I combined episodes 74 and 75 to make this chapter, just to move the plot along. Anyways read and review^^

XOXO~Cyber


	54. Assassin of the Moonlit Night

**Assassin of the Moonlit Night.**

* * *

After pursuing him for what seemed like hours, we finally made it to where Sasuke and Gaara were. What I saw struck me to the core, Gaara was partially transformed into what looked like some creature. The chakra I sensed matched the one I felt in the arena earlier before this whole mess started.

Naruto kicked Gaara square in the face, protecting Sasuke from what could've been a fatal blow.

"Sasuke!" I called, landing next to him.

He was laying facedown on the tree branch and I could see the black flame-like pattern on his neck and arm.

I gasped, "Oh no."

"_He activated the curse mark." _Helena noted.

Sakura landed on the other side of Sasuke while Pakkun landed next to me, and Choji landed behind me. Naruto stood on the leaves in front of us, staring down Gaara.

* * *

Sasuke struggled to sit up, but his body was rigid. "What the hell are you guys doing here?" he said through gritted teeth.

I saw the black flame like pattern on his face as well, and gasped. _"He's loosing control again, just like before." _

"Hey, earth to Kunoichi teammates." Naruto addressed us.

"What the hell do you want?" Sakura asked, glaring at Naruto.

"This guy over here, who the hell is he?" Naruto asked us.

"_Is he seriously that dense?" _Helena scoffed.

"His outward appearance may look different." Pakkun answered. "But he's the one you all know as Gaara."

Sasuke coughed and blood spurted from his mouth.

"Hang in there Sasuke." Sakura soothed. She looked up at me. "Kristin we have to get him back to Kakashi-sensei."

"I know, I know." I replied. "But if we try to make a run for it now, Gaara would pounce on us the second we moved."

"And judging from his chakra, he would kill the lot of you just as quickly." Pakkun added.

I glared at him. "Stop patronizing us." I barked. I looked back to Sakura, and saw the worry in her eyes. "We'll think of something, I promise."

I looked down at Sasuke and rubbed his shoulders, "Just hang in there man, we'll think of something."

Sasuke groaned as he struggled to lift himself up, blood ran down from his lips.

"_I can only imagine the pain he must be feeling under the influence of the curse mark." _I thought as I looked over him. _"Just like what I went through on the bridge, only for my sake, I was glad the seal broke quickly." _I closed my eyes as I remembered when Helena's seal first broke when we were fighting back in the Land of Waves.

* * *

{Flashback}

"_Time to break out and have fun."_ and suddenly, my entire body shifted, and I couldn't stop it.

My knees buckled underneath me and I saw the marks on my hands meld together, turning black. Jet black, just like Helena's fur. The pain I felt was so intense that I soon began to loose consciousness.

As I slipped deeper and deeper, something came over me. I found myself floating in darkness. A feminine chuckle sounded behind me. I spun around and was face to face with my split personality, the demon spirit that lived in the dark recesses of my subconscious.

Her hair was the same length as mine, only it was deep purple. Her eyes were dark blue, and she wore the exact same outfit that I wore. The same crimson marks that appeared on me, appeared on her as well. Then, like me before, they melded together, turning her skin black, except it was fur, not skin. Black ears sprouted from her head and a tail appeared. She was then surrounded by purple chakra.

"Sorry dear, but it's my turn." she said, grinning. "Take a backseat and let me show you a thing or two about surviving the Kunoichi lifestyle.

I felt myself being shoved back, and I saw the battle through my own eyes, only Helena was the one moving. It was like being a puppet being controlled, I had no control over my movements, or transformation, or my own jutsu.

In a swift movement, my perception changed and I saw my reflection on one of Haku's mirrors. A jet black figure in a jade green outfit, ears and a tail, and claws in place of nails. Sharp fangs bared in a smile that sent chills down my spine. My body reacted to the emotions and my perception changed. I cast a quick glance at the mirror next to me and saw my body shift, from a human girl to a black wolf. My forest green headband was around my neck and I had purple bangs over my eyes, which were bloodshot and deep blue, with crimson scars over them.

{End Flashback}

* * *

Helena's seal pulsated again, and I winced at the pain. _"Not now." _I grunted.

"_If you don't use this jutsu now, you won't live to see the end of the day." _Helena spat back.

"Girls run!" Naruto warned.

As Sakura and I looked in his direction, Gaara lunged past him and was aiming to attack Sasuke.

"Not on your life." Sakura grunted, unsheathing a kunai and standing protectively in front of Sasuke.

I watched Gaara closely, and as he swung his claw, I saw a kunai knife sticking out of it.

"Sakura move!" I warned, pushing her out of the way.

Gaara's sand-claw wrapped around the both of us and pinned us the tree trunk behind us. My body jerked and I felt the kunai knife stab me in the chest, and I coughed a little bit of blood.

"Kristin?" Sakura moaned, then I saw her eyes close and her head drop.

"Damn." I muttered, feeling the halt of the seal. "Guess it wasn't fast enough." I coughed again and my eyes felt heavy.

I managed to keep them open a little while longer to see Naruto and Choji take Sasuke to another branch. I heard Choji yell my name and Naruto yelled Sakura's, and everything echoed in my ears.

"_I feel so…so lightheaded…and everything's going….dark…" _I thought as my eyelids slowly closed.

I felt the pressure tighten on my body and suddenly I saw an image. A photograph of a woman with short, sandy-blonde hair and blue-grey eyes.

"_My presence is resonating with Shukaku." _Helena muttered. _"I think Gaara's remembering something."_

I slipped further and further into darkness, and found myself watching Gaara's memories unfold.

* * *

I found myself in a small hut in Sunagakure, the Village hidden in the Sand. I heard the sound of sand rushing and when I turned, I was face to face with Gaara, who looked no more than five or six years old.

"_What the hell?" _I thought.

A man, closely resembling the woman in the photograph came into the room and Gaara referred to him as Yashamaru. He was the chief of the Suna medical corp. and was asked by Gaara's father, the Kazekage, to see to Gaara's well being and safety.

Yashamaru has bandages wrapped around his forehead and wrist, and Gaara seemed genuinely concerned about him, asking if the wounds hurt and apologizing.

"_He was so sweet, I wonder what happened to change all of this?" _I asked myself.

"_Well, maybe that's what we can find out." _Helena replied.

I turned in the direction her voice came from and saw her in my reflection in the windowpane.

We both paid attention as Gaara asked all sorts of questions about pain and what it is. Yashamaru tried to explain it, but said it wasn't really easy to explain. As I listened, I caught on that Gaara's mother was Yashamaru's older sister, making him Gaara's uncle.

Yashamaru explained that wounds to the body eventually heal over time, but a wound to the heart, it something that could never really heal. He said that love was the one thing that could help in healing a wounded heart, and little Gaara seemed to understand that quiet easily.

"_Something tells me that he's hiding something." _Helena noted, narrowing her eyes at Yashamaru.

I shook my head, _"No way, I think he truly cares about Gaara." _I rebuked. _"Hell, he might've been the only person who loved him."_

"_Then why is Gaara the way he is now?" _Helena asked. _"Something must've happened to this Yashamaru person to make Gaara believe his only reason for living is in the killing of others." _

I huffed and crossed my arms.

* * *

Then, I felt an intense, twisting pain in my chest area and when my eyes snapped open, I saw the forest around me, the forest of Konohagakure.

"_Like I said, my power must be resonating with Shukaku somehow." _Helena said. _"That's why we were able to see that memory."_

I blinked and saw Gaara was gripping his head with his free hand, the expression on his face was that of anguish and agony. He twisted his transformed arm and I felt another stab of pain, causing me to spit blood. I could feel it trickling down from my mouth as my eyes slowly closed.

* * *

The desert winds blew my hair back and I saw little Gaara walking the streets of Suna, when a drunken man bumped into him. Gaara's eyes narrowed and sand swirled around him, and he ended up killing drunk in one swift movement.

I flinched, _"Damn." _I muttered.

I followed little Gaara as he walked along, and he passed by an older man that he resembled, my best guess that it was his father, the Kazekage.

Little Gaara sat on the rooftop of his home looking down over the village. The moon was full in the night sky.

"_I kinda feel bad for him." _I thought, as I stood on the building opposite him.

"_Yeah, and I thought your buddy Naruto had a bad life." _Helena reminded.

"_So true. Suddenly, my life doesn't look so bad." _I closed my eyes and sighed.

Little Gaara put his face in his hands and began to cry. Unbeknownst to him, a dozen or so kunai knives came at him from behind, and a shield of sand formed, startling him. Gaara turned to face his attacker and used his power over the sand to crush him. As I leapt closer, I saw what he saw. The assassin that tried to kill him was Yashamaru. Gaara let out a bloodcurdling scream that snapped me out of the memory I just witnessed.

* * *

I coughed and blood dripped onto Gaara's sand claw.

"Sasuke." I heard Sakura whimper from beside me.

"Naruto." I managed to say, before coughing again.

"Kristin." I heard someone say my name.

I opened my eyes and turned my head a few inches to the left, and I saw Shikamaru leaning against the tree trunk, panting, with Angel at his feet. I felt a smile cross my lips as my eyes met his for only a second. My gaze drifted to Choji, who was kneeling next to Sasuke.

"Choji." I whispered. "Shikamaru." I felt moisture form in my eyes.

"These two." Gaara growled, his gaze locked with Naruto. "And Uchiha. Just what are they to you!"

"Who are they to me?" Naruto repeated. "They're my friends is who they are! And if you so much as lay a finger on them, I will pulverize you!"

Gaara grinned and put more pressure on the sand constricting Sakura and myself, and we both let out a scream. I felt the kunai knife go deeper into my chest and coughed up more blood.

"Kristin!" Choji and Shikamaru yelled in unison.

Gaara laughed when Naruto narrowed his eyes. "What's the matter?" Gaara growled. "Weren't you going to pulverize me?"

Naruto clenched his fist and lunged towards Gaara, "Damn you!" he yelled.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Kristin**: It's no use, I can't even move anymore.

**Helena**: Well then, it's time I take action and try to help Naruto. Gaara posses an tremendous amount of strength, and he's only partially transformed.

**Naruto**: I don't give a damn about it, he's going down!

**Helena**: We have to work together if we're gonna do this. Next time: **Light vs. Dark: The Two Faces of Gaara! **I know I can beat this guy, I just hope my body can hold out.

* * *

**A/N: **Hey guys, another double feature here! I hope ya'll are enjoying the story so far. Review and tell me what ya think^^

XOXO~Cyber


	55. Light vs Dark

**Light vs. Dark: The Two Faces of Gaara!**

* * *

I coughed and blood dripped onto Gaara's sand claw.

"Sasuke." I heard Sakura whimper from beside me.

"Naruto." I managed to say, before coughing again.

"Kristin." I heard someone say my name.

I opened my eyes and turned my head a few inches to the left, and I saw Shikamaru leaning against the tree trunk, panting, with Angel at his feet. I felt a smile cross my lips as my eyes met his for only a second. My gaze drifted to Choji, who was kneeling next to Sasuke.

"Choji." I whispered. "Shikamaru." I felt moisture form in my eyes.

"These two." Gaara growled, his gaze locked with Naruto. "And Uchiha. Just what are they to you!"

"Who are they to me?" Naruto repeated. "They're my friends is who they are! And if you so much as lay a finger on them, I will pulverize you!"

Gaara grinned and put more pressure on the sand constricting Sakura and myself, and we both let out a scream. I felt the kunai knife go deeper into my chest and coughed up more blood.

"Kristin!" Choji and Shikamaru yelled in unison.

Gaara laughed when Naruto narrowed his eyes. "What's the matter?" Gaara growled. "Weren't you going to pulverize me?"

Naruto clenched his fist and lunged towards Gaara, "Damn you!" he yelled, charging forward.

* * *

Naruto aimed to punch Gaara who blocked it with his tail, sending Naruto flying into the leaves. He was panting hard and kept glancing between myself, Sakura, and Sasuke. My vision was blurring around the edges and I was struggling to stay conscious.

* * *

Another jolt of pain hit me and I was back in Gaara's memory, of him as a child crying at the side of Yashamaru.

Yashamaru had been ordered by the Fourth Kazekage, Gaara's father, to kill him because it was made clear Gaara could never control the Shukaku's power and he would end up being a threat to Sunagakure. Even though he had a choice, Yashamaru decided to take the request, and when I heard his answer, it all became clear to me.

"It's because deep down, I hate you Gaara." he choked out. "My sister died bringing you into this world, and I can't forgive you for that. The day she died, I felt a wound in my heart that I knew would never heal."

I felt moisture well in my eyes and wiped it away. _"That's so horrible." _I whimpered.

"_That's the truth." _Helena replied. _"That is exactly why your parents put the seals on Helgo and me when Kovu and you were born." _she added, looking at me with her deep blue eyes. _"They set the time for the seal to break when you turned sixteen years old, because by then, you would've had more than enough training in Chakra Control to control the extra amount that would be given to you both by us."_

"_Then how come the seals broke early?" _I asked her. _"How is it that Kovu and I can channel your power now, when he's only fourteen and I'm only twelve?"_

Helena shook her head. _"That's something even we don't know. My guess is, when you went through that emotional stress back on the bridge, I was able to break out myself because you will was weakened. And in that weakness, I was able to free myself from those confinements. And now I can lend you my power whenever you wish it."_

I sighed and clasped my hands together. _"There's still so much that I don't understand."_

"_Understand this," _Helena said. _"if people in the village found out about me being inside of you, they would've probably treated you just like Naruto, just because you were different."_

I wiped the tears away and sighed. _"Suddenly my life doesn't seem so bad, at least I had a family that cared for me, and friends that stuck by me."_

Helena nodded. _"And Naruto had no family, and Gaara's practically hated him. You had it easy compared to them kid."_

I sniffled. _"Guess I owe Naruto an apology later. Because even though I belittled him in the past, he's still fighting to save me now."_

I felt tears roll down my cheek as I remembered what Naruto had said earlier. I opened my eyes just in time to watch the end of the memory, where Yashamaru had strapped paper bombs to his chest and ultimately committed suicide. Naturally the sand rushed to protect Gaara, and he was left with the reality that no one truly loved him.

Little Gaara's eyes grew hard and he screamed, and the sand reacted to his power. In that fit of rage and agony, the sand itself emblazoned the Kanji for 'Love' on Gaara's forehead, right above his left eye.

* * *

The twisting pain of the kunai in my chest snapped me back to reality once more. Gaara screamed in agony and was clutching the side of his face that was partially transformed.

"Na-Naruto." I choked out and he looked at me. I locked eyes with him. "It's all up to you now." I smiled, weakly. "You can beat this guy, I know you can."

"Kristin." Naruto sighed.

I nodded. "I believe in you…teammate." my vision blurred a little more and I closed my eyes, feeling blood trickle down the corner of my mouth.

I felt a portion of the sand tighten around me and felt the sensation of being tossed or thrown.

"Kristin, no!" I heard Naruto yell.

"I got her." came another, familiar voice.

Then I felt someone's arms around my body and my head laid in the nape of his neck. His grip was tight around me and he cradled my body.

"Is she dead?" I heard Choji's voice asked, worriedly.

"No, she isn't." the voice belonged to Shikamaru, and I realized he was the one holding me.

I mustered up a little bit of strength to open my eyes and there was Shikamaru's face, looming over mine.

"You gave us quite a scare there." he told me, draping my ponytail over my shoulder.

"I know everything now." I told them. "Why Gaara is the way he is."

"What is she talking about?" Choji asked.

I moved my head and looked at him. "Why Gaara believes that the only way to feel alive is in the killing of others." I answered. I looked back up at the sky and chuckled, "Suddenly my life doesn't seem so bad."

"Kris, what are you sayin?" Shikamaru asked me, wiping the blood from my mouth.

"I'm saying that out of Gaara, Naruto, and myself, I had it easy." I answered, leaning into his shoulder. "I had a family who loved me. Friends who believed in me." I reached up and caressed his cheek, "I had you guys and that's all I've ever really needed."

"Kristin, you're not dying are you?" Choji whimpered.

I chuckled, "I honestly don't know buddy." I answered.

I felt something thick being pressed against my chest and when I looked down, I saw it was Shikamaru pressing Choji's scarf over the wound in my chest.

I managed to looked back in the direction where Gaara and Naruto were, and Gaara was almost covered in sand and he took on the appearance of a Tanuki almost. The only part that remained human were his legs, other than that, he was transformed.

"_His chakra is off the charts, there's no way Naruto can compete with that by himself." _I thought, struggling to sit up.

"Kristin, no way." Shikamaru said. "If you're thinking of fighting, forget it."

"Yeah." Choji agreed. "Not in your condition."

I coughed and leaned back down. "I have-have to do something."

"_There is only one way for us to help him." _Helena informed.

I knew it was a risky option, but I had to talk to her. So I took the deepest breath I could manage, and closed my eyes, relaxing in Shikamaru's arms.

* * *

I opened my eyes and saw Helena standing in front of me, her stance mirroring mine.

"_What can we do? What can I do?" _I asked her.

Helena smiled. _"The only option is to give me control over your body." _she answered, her dark blue eyes locking gazes with me.

I gasped. _"No way." _I told her.

Helena shook her head. _"If you charge into battle like that, you'll kill us both!" _she yelled. _"If I gain control, your spirit can rest and heal while my seal can heal the physical wound."_

I put my hand to my chest and when I pulled it back, I saw blood on my fingers.

"_Face it sweetie, that wound is slowly killing you. Killing us." _Helena added. _"The powers my chakra possesses can heal us both, and give us enough power to take down Gaara. Because trust me, if he gets to a full possession, we're all dead."_

I looked at her. _"Is he really that strong?" _I asked, gulping.

Helena nodded. _"He is the One Tail after all."_

"_He's a tailed beast?" _I gasped.

She nodded again. _"Yes, and if Naruto and I combine our powers, we can take him down before then. Kristin, you're gonna have to trust me."_

I took a step back, contemplating the situation.

"_If you're worried about your friends, I promise I won't hurt them." _she said, making me look at her. She shrugged her shoulders, _"I actually kinda like them. Sure Naruto's dumber than a sack of wet hair, Sakura's constant fan-girling over Sasuke gets on my nerves, Sasuke's ego is basically suffocating us. As for Choji and Shikamaru, they could show just a bit more emotion at times, but I still like them. They bring a weird sense of joy to my life."_

I raised an eyebrow at her and scoffed.

"_It's true." _Helena defended._ "So, I swear, I won't hurt them, and when the battle is over, I'll give you back control and return to me dark, little corner in the recesses of your subconscious mind."_

I sighed and nodded, _"Okay, I trust you. I just hope I don't regret this later." _I caved.

Helena extended her hands, palms facing me. _"Touch your hands with mine, and think of something relaxing. A 'Happy Place' as you would call it."_

I took a deep breath and exhaled, placing my palms on Helena's and closing my eyes. A feeling of calmness and serenity washed over me and I heard a familiar voice humming in the distance.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, I was met with the blinding sun and when I shielded my eyes I saw a tree looming above me.

"_Where am I?" _I thought.

A soft hand stroked my face and I looked and saw a face framed by hot pink bangs, and a lavender braid was draped over her shoulder. Her blue eyes looked down at me, shimmering. Her hand stroked my cheek.

"You're safe now sweetie, Mommy's here now." she said, her voice soft like how I remembered.

"Mom…" I sighed.

"I'm here sweetie, I'm right here." she replied.

My head was on her lap and she caressed my cheek, and I felt so content in that very moment. I closed my eyes and smiled. I knew where I was, now I had to put all of trust in Helena, and hope she would watch Naruto's back, and keep true to her promise.

* * *

****** I coughed and opened my eyes, being met with the brightness of the sun.

"Kristin?" the voice I recognized as Choji questioned.

I sat up and rubbed my head, "She's, how should I say this? Sleeping at the present moment." I answered, cracking my knuckles and neck.

"Then you're Helena, I take it." Shikamaru said.

I turned to him and nodded, "Yep, I'm the 'alternant personality with homicidal tendencies' to quote you."

I focused my chakra and activated my seal to Stage One, using it's power to heal the wound in my chest inflicted by Gaara. I looked around and saw Sakura was still trapped to the tree by the sand, Gaara was basically two-thirds transformed, and Naruto had managed to summon one measly little toad.

"Looks like I have my work cut out for me." I muttered, standing up and tightening my ponytail.

"What happened to Kristin?" Choji asked me.

"Relax, she's fine." I answered. "This was the only option left. While she's healing, I'm taking over to aid Naruto in this fight."

I watched as Naruto was getting thrashed around by Gaara's 'Sand Shuriken' attack, but he just kept getting back up. I have to admit, I was impressed at his resilience in the face of that sand demon, but I wasn't gonna stand by and let him get himself killed.

"_Alright, it's time for me to jump into this fight." _I thought, smiling. _"This is gonna be fun."_

* * *

**Next time…**

**Naruto**: Alright, this guy's gonna see all of my techniques comin at him from all directions! They don't call me the Number One Hyperactive Knucklehead Ninja for nothing!

**Helena**: Hey knucklehead, if you're gonna stand even a shred of chance surviving a fight with this guy, you're gonna need my help.

**Naruto**: You're help?

**Helena**: That's right. I'm that demon from Kristin's subconscious mind, if anything, I'm the reason she's still alive after what happened in the Forest of Death.

**Naruto**: Well if you're really that good, I guess I could let you help.

**Helena**: Great, now let's take this guy down!

**Naruto **and Helena: Next time: Beyond the Limit of Darkness and Light!

**Helena**: We're banking it all on this combination.

* * *

**A/N: ** **Denotes that the POV has switched to Helena's. I did that mainly because she gets a big part in the fight in the next chapter, so ya'll get to see what she can really do, and just how far her powers can go, as well as her resonating connection with the Tailed Beasts. Hope ya'll enjoy, read and review^^

XOXO~Cyber


	56. Beyond the Limit

**Beyond the Limit of Darkness and Light!**

****: **Denotes Helena's POV

***: **Denotes changing back to Kristin's POV

* * *

******I coughed and opened my eyes, being met with the brightness of the sun.

"Kristin?" the voice I recognized as Choji questioned.

I sat up and rubbed my head, "She's, how should I say this? Sleeping at the present moment." I answered, cracking my knuckles and neck.

"Then you're Helena, I take it." Shikamaru said.

I turned to him and nodded, "Yep, I'm the 'alternant personality with homicidal tendencies' to quote you."

I focused my chakra and activated my seal to Stage One, using it's power to heal the wound in my chest inflicted by Gaara. I looked around and saw Sakura was still trapped to the tree by the sand, Gaara was basically two-thirds transformed, and Naruto had managed to summon one measly little toad.

"Looks like I have my work cut out for me." I muttered, standing up and tightening my ponytail.

"What happened to Kristin?" Choji asked me.

"Relax, she's fine." I answered. "This was the only option left. While she's healing, I'm taking over to aid Naruto in this fight."

I watched as Naruto was getting thrashed around by Gaara's 'Sand Shuriken' attack, but he just kept getting back up. I have to admit, I was impressed at his resilience in the face of that sand demon, but I wasn't gonna stand by and let him get himself killed.

"_Alright, it's time for me to jump into this fight." _I thought, smiling. _"This is gonna be fun."_

* * *

I watched as Naruto struggled to get back up, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He pulled a kunai knife out of his ninja pouch and wrapped something around the hilt.

"There's no way I can tell from here." I muttered, biting my lip. "You boys stay here." I said to Choji, Sasuke, and Shikamaru.

I sent a burst of chakra to my feet and leapt to another branch where Naruto's toad summon was sitting.

"Man, this kid is resilient." he said, watching as Naruto charged forward, creating multiple 'Shadow Clones'.

After about the third set, Naruto was behind Gaara, with the kunai in his hands. "And now the Leaf Village secret taijutsu! Straight from the teachings of Kakashi-sensei!"

"_He isn't." _I thought.

"One Thousand Years of Death!" Naruto yelled, plunging the kunai into the underside of Gaara's sand tail.

"An enema, great." Pakkun sighed.

"_I can't believe he actually did that." _I thought, my eyebrows twitching. _"Out of everything he's learned, he picked that technique to use? Man, he really is an idiot."_

The blow of the impact send a wild wind rushing throughout the area. I picked up the toad, named Gamakichi, and shielded him. I turned my head over my shoulder and saw Sasuke catch Naruto as he was flung back by the explosion.

"Thanks a lot for the save there, girlie." Gamakichi said.

I scowled. "It's Helena, not girlie." I corrected.

Gamakichi jumped out of my arms and I brushed the dirt off of my top and skirt.

Suddenly, I felt a rush of chakra coming from Naruto and he created, at least, two-thousand shadow clones.

"Nice one kid." Gamakichi complemented.

"That's impossible, there's just no way he could create this many clones." I gasped.

Even though I was seeing it, I still didn't believe it. All the clones went in to attack Gaara, and literally pummeled him into the ground to a point where the sand was slowly falling off his body.

"There's just no way." he said, struggling to get back up. "There's no way I'm gonna loose to a guy like him!"

* * *

Then, I felt another rush of chakra. _"Oh shit, not now." _I gasped. Gaara was ready to unleash Shukaku's full power.

A pillar of sand rose up from the ground and destroyed all of Naruto's clones in an instant, creating a huge cloud of smoke. As I focused hard, I could make out Shukaku's facial features. Then, as the smoke cleared entirely, I saw Gaara had achieved a full transformation of the Shukaku. He towered over the entire forest, eyes full of the desire to fight, and kill.

I cracked a small smile, _"This is gonna be one hell of a family reunion." _I thought. _"I had better prepare myself, if I intend to survive."_

I advanced my seal to the second stage, black fur covering my body, a tail sprouting behind me and ears popping out of my head. My nails shifted to claws and my canine teeth elongated into fangs. The tank top and skirt still remained, as did the blue headband I wore tied around my neck.

"I never thought you would bring this out of me." Gaara said, as he looked down on us.

I saw the sand moving towards Naruto, and that's when I jumped into action. "Water Style: Raging Waves!" a stream of water burst from my mouth as it hit the sand and turned it stiff.

Naruto sighed in relief. "Thanks for the help, Kris." he said.

I landed in front of him. "Not a problem, except I'm not Kristin." I informed, turning to face Naruto. "The wound the Gaara inflicted on our body was deep, and nearly fatal. Right now, Kristin is in her own subconscious, healing." I added. "While I'm taking control and helping you out."

Naruto nodded, "So, you're Helena then." he deducted.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm Kristin's demon." I looked back up at Shukaku, "And that demon is very bad news, for us anyway."

Then, sand jumped up from the ground and surrounded us, with no way of escaping. It wove itself around our bodies, restraining our movements. I struggled against it and focused my chakra, preparing to go to stage three of my transformation.

Next to me, Naruto wiped the blood from his mouth and slowly weaved the signs for the summoning technique.

I knelt down on my hands and knees and let my body shift to it's animal skeleton. My back arched and my hands shifted into paws, the majority of my hair blended with my back, creating thick fur, only a portion remained, covering my right eye. I felt my snout form and felt all of my teeth become sharper.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Naruto yelled, slamming his hand down onto the tree branch we were standing on. The blast from the jutsu dissipated the sand, saving us in time.

* * *

The surface I was standing on was rough and dry, and a shade of rusty red. I opened my eyes and realized that Naruto and I were standing on the head of a toad he had summoned. A toad whose scent I recognized.

"Gamabunta?" I questioned, sliding down the bridge of his nose. I was met with a pair of yellow eyes. "It is you Bunta, long time no see."

"Well, if it isn't Helena, I haven't seen you in a few dozen years." Bunta replied. "What's going on that you needed my assistance?"

I smiled, "See, I'm not the one who summoned you, but if you look straight ahead, you'll see why we need ya." I ran up the bridge of his nose and stood beside Naruto.

Gamabunta looked ahead of us, "Shukaku the Sand Spirit." he noticed. He looked up at Naruto and narrowed his eyes, "Uh, not you again." he groaned.

"What do ya say? Will you fight alongside me Chief Toad?" Naruto asked, giving a thumbs up.

Gamabunta blew out a puff of smoke from his pipe, "Take a hike you little runt." he insulted.

"What!?" Naruto shrieked.

"Why should I risk my life to fight a guy like him?" Gamabunta asked. "I'm not suicidal you know."

"You have got to be kidding me!" Naruto yelled. "You already said you would make me your henchman!" he slapped Bunta's head repeatedly. "It's only natural for a boss to fight alongside his henchman."

"Do you have any idea what the Summoning Technique is?" I questioned. "The summons are supposed to aid you, not the other way around. You're supposed to be in charge, not be taking orders." I sighed and lowered my head. "How did you ever survive this long?"

"I know I said I would make you my henchman." Bunta replied to Naruto. "But haven't even sealed the deal over a cup of Sake yet."

"Give me a break! I can't have alcohol, I'm only twelve damnit!" Naruto yelled.

Gamakichi jumped onto Naruto's head. "Oh c'mon Pops give the kid a break."

"And what are you doing here, Gamakichi?" Gamabunta asked the smaller frog.

"Well I had nothing better to do." he replied. "By the way Pops, that big, ugly, asshole over there was picking on me earlier. And this kid and girly came to my rescue."

I scowled, "I told you not to call me girly." I huffed.

"Well now, that changes things." Bunta said, narrowing his eyes. He reached for his sword and unsheathed it. "Hang on tight kids, I'm gonna teach this guy a thing or two."

"Wow and giant toad verses a Tanuki, this is gonna be good." I sighed.

Bunta leapt into the air, and I nearly fell off. But I managed to hold my ground as Gamabunta sliced off one of Shukaku's arms. As he landed, his sword pierced the ground, creating a massive wind burst for everyone below.

"Hey Chief, don't go in that direction, Sakura's over there." Naruto reminded.

"Sakura?" Gamabunta repeated.

"It's his little girlfriend Pop." Gamakichi chuckled.

I snickered. "Try our teammate." I corrected. "We have to beat him soon, otherwise she and everyone else are as good as dead."

Gamabunta smiled.

Gaara laughed as the Shukaku turned around to face us. Ripples began to form on Shukaku's forehead and Gaara's human body emerged from them.

"To thank you for entertaining me here today, I am going to show you the true power of the manifestation, of the sand." Gaara said, and I noticed his eyes were completely blank.

"Those circles under his eyes, it means he's suffering from insomnia." Gamabunta informed.

"Insomnia?" Naruto questioned.

I sighed. "Those possessed by Shukaku are no longer able to sleep soundly through the night." I answered. "The terror brought on by Shukaku is just too great to ignore. However, if one possessed does fall asleep, Shukaku eats away at his psyche, until the person he once was is no longer." I added. "And since the host doesn't get enough sleep, his personality becomes unstable, and that makes him dangerous."

"Great." Naruto sighed.

"However, when the host, or spiritualist medium, is awake, the Shukaku's power is held in check." Gamabunta added. "The only danger is if he finally falls asleep."

Gaara's hands clasped together forming the hand seal of 'Ram' and he muttered, "Play Possum Jutsu." and his body fell forward, and his eyes were closed.

"And we just go screwed." I noted, snarling.

Shukaku's eyes lit up to a golden color and he let out a laugh. "Oh yeah! I'm free! Here I come baby!" he shouted.

"Man, that is one funky demon." Gamakichi noted.

I nodded. "Bunta I hope you have a plan, otherwise I'm gonna die for the second time in my life."

"You've learned Water Style correct?" he asked me.

"Yeah, it's my new vessel's main nature, why?" I questioned.

"Follow my lead." Bunta answered. "I'm gonna jump so hang on tight."

* * *

Just as Shukaku let out Wind Style: Air Bullet, Gamabunta jumped to avoid it. Shukaku released another one and Bunta and I countered with a Water Style: Liquid Bullet, and when the two collided, a small downpour was created over the trees.

"Remember chief, not in that direction." Naruto reminded.

"We know Naruto!" Gamabunta and I yelled in unison.

"Air Bullets!" Shukaku shouted.

"Liquid Bullets!" Gamabunta and I countered.

But one more bullet was coming and it struck Gamabunta head-on, barely injuring him.

"Now that was close. Fire off a couple more of those and even I won't last much longer." Gamabunta said, shaking off the attack.

"How can we even get in a good shot?" I asked, gripping onto Bunta's head.

"Well, if we wake up the spiritualist medium, it will cancel out the jutsu and considerably weaken Shukaku altogether." Bunta answered. "But my body doesn't have any claws or horns to hold onto the enemy with."

I gasped. "That's it, Naruto." I said, turning to him. "If you and Gamabunta combine your chakras, you can pull of a combined transformation that could be used to hold onto Shukaku."

"And then once that's done, he can fire off a few rounds to wake the medium up." Gamabunta added. "Nice thinking Helena."

"But what are you gonna do?" Naruto asked me.

I cracked an all-teeth smile. "I'm gonna hold onto him as well, to give you time to use that transformation jutsu."

"But uh, how?" Gamakichi asked. "You're like twenty times smaller than that fugly thing."

I scoffed. "You ain't seen nothin yet from me little froggy." I sneered. "Just watch and learn."

I sent chakra to my four paws and jumped off of Gamabunta's head. _"Ninja Art: Demon Mimicry…" _I thought, focusing my chakra. One of my many talents is that I can copy any technique that I've witnessed. "Expansion Jutsu!" I howled, increasing my body size to equal Shukaku's.

"Helena, there's my wolfy cousin." Shukaku greeted, firing off another Air Bullet at me.

"Liquid Bullet!" I fired a massive force of water, which cancelled out Shukaku's wind-style move.

* * *

I landed on the ground and slid behind Shukaku, digging my claws into his back and biting into shoulder, letting out a snarl. Shukaku screamed in pain.

"Now guys!" I yelled, locking gazes with them.

Gamabunta charged forward with Naruto focusing his chakra and making a hand-sign.

"Transformation Jutsu!" Naruto yelled.

Out of the smoke emerged a gigantic orange-furred creature. One that I knew all to well.

"_Kurama." _I thought. _"This just became a small family reunion." _

* * *

He charged forward and went to land a blow, but Shukaku manage to doge it, and slip from me all at the same time. Shukaku used his one good arm and swatted at me, scratching the top of my head.

"Damn." I muttered, shaking off the hit.

"Hi-Ho!" Shukaku yelled, charging into me head on.

He pushed me a good two feet before knocking me over. I managed to slip away before he could blow me to bits, but I could feel my chakra slowly slipping.

"_If we can't beat him soon, there's no hope left." _I thought, panting. _"He'll destroy Konohagakure for sure if we don't beat him."_

"He just needs a good smack to the head." Naruto scoffed. I head his voice coming from the Kurama manifestation.

"Helena, try to get another grip on him." Gamabunta told me, his voice also coming from the transformed fox.

I shook off my daze. "Easier said than done." I told him, licking my paw and wiping the blood from my head.

The Kurama manifestation grabbed a tree, a whole tree, in one of its nine tails and charged towards Shukaku from the front while I snuck around the back. Using the tree to block the oncoming Air Bullet attack, we used that distraction to latch onto Shukaku.

I sunk my fangs into his neck and buried my claws into his back, snarling as I did so. At that same moment, the Kurama manifestation gripped onto the front side of Shukaku.

"Alright kid, you're on!" Gamabunta ordered, breaking off the transformation jutsu.

Naruto emerged from the smoke and punched Gaara right in the face, breaking the Play Possum Jutsu.

"Ahh, come on!" Shukaku wined, slamming his tail into me. "Give me a break! I just got here!"

His tail struck me two more times before his eyes faded to a dull grey, meaning Gaara was fully awake.

"I'll make you pay for that!" Gaara screamed, aiming to kill Naruto with his sand jutsu, but Bunta saved him just in time.

"How can this guy still have all that chakra?" Bunta asked, struggling to hold back the Shukaku.

"Because I'm running on empty here." I added, trying to maintain my grip.

Gaara moved his hand and had the tail keep striking me in the back, scraping off some fur. I squeezed my eyes shut and yelped in pain.

"_I can't hold on much longer." _I thought. I knew I would need to rest some after this fight.

One more tail swipe was all I could endure. It was enough for me to loosen my grip enough to have Gaara fling me off his back. He struck me with his tail one last time, returning me to normal size.

I managed to lock gazes with Naruto. "It's all up to you now." I told him. "Give him a few more whacks and that'll be that." I smiled and closed my eyes, feeling the wind rush around me as I fell.

* * *

I heard the sound of breaking branches and could feel the impact on my body, which was slowly shifting back to human form.

"I got her." I heard a voice yell.

Soon I was in somebody's arms and being pressed against their chest tightly. The scent I caught was a mixture of different flavored potato chips.

"_It's time for me to rest for a while." _I thought.

"Is she okay?" I heard Sasuke ask.

I opened my eyes and saw Kristin's three friends looking down at me. Choji's arms were wrapped around me and my head was on Shikamaru's lap.

"That was quite a fight there, Hel." Shikamaru said.

I smiled. "Yeah, well it's time for me to keep my end of the bargin." I chuckled and laid back. "Guess I better give your girlfriend her body back." I sighed and closed my eyes, traveling into the recesses of Kristin's subconscious, to switch places back.

* * *

When I located her, I found her in a dream-like place of the Hatake Family Shrine. I found her underneath a tree, her head in the lap of an older woman with hair that was exactly like hers. She wore a pale blue dress and black sandals on her feet. From where I stood, I heard the older woman singing…

_"Lonely, because the wind blew,_

_Feeling, I realized_

_That even though the answer is nowhere._

_Call me, I already knew_

_With you, that love is _

_For each other."_

Kristin turned her head and looked at me. "Helena." she muttered.

"It's time to give you control back." I told her. "I used up the majority of my chakra. The rest was being used to heal you." I added.

Kristin's face fell. "Can I have a little bit longer?" she asked, looking up at the face of the older woman.

She chuckled. "I'm sorry honey, but it's not time for you to join me yet." she said, softly. She caressed Kristin's cheek. "There's still so much you need to learn."

"Mom…" Kristin sighed.

Her mother put her finger over Kristin's lips. "There's also a message I need you to give to your father."

Kristin cocked her head to the side in confusion. Her mother just smiled. "Tell him he doesn't need to stay single for my sake. I'm perfectly fine with it if he dates again." she said. "If anything, I want him to date, and possible remarry someday."

Kristin smiled and sat up. "I'll tell him Mom."

Her mother pulled her into an embrace and rubbed her back. "I'll be watching over all of you. I'm so proud of you guys."

Tears welled in Kristin's eyes as she stood up and walked towards me. "So what now?"

I smiled, "You get control of your body back and I'll be taking a well needed rest." I took her hands in mine. "You're friends are waiting for you. And trust me, they were worried."

Kristin chuckled. "They worry too much." she admitted. "But it's still sweet that they care."

We clasped each other's hands and I could feel myself being pushed back into her subconscious mind while she regained control of her body.

* * *

*****My head felt heavy and my body was sore. I flinched and slowly fluttered my eyes open.

"Kristin?" Choji asked.

I looked up at him and smiled. "Hey Choji." I turned my head and saw my other two friends. "Shikamaru, Sasuke." I sighed in relief that they were both alright.

"Hey Kris." Shikamaru caressed my cheek, smiling.

"What the hell happened?" I asked, sitting up a little bit. My head was throbbing and when I went to rub my forehead, I felt a little bit of dried blood.

"Well, you were injured by that Gaara guy, and Helena took over your body to help Naruto fight him." Choji answered.

"And it was one hell of a fight." Sasuke added.

"Naruto?" I murmured. Images came to my mind; Naruto summoning that gigantic toad, a giant Sand Tanuki, the Nine-Tailed Fox. "It wasn't a dream?" I asked.

"A dream." Shikamaru repeated. "No, it really happened, we all watched it."

"And you guys weren't freaked out at all?" I questioned, looking at all three of them.

They shook their heads.

"I thought it was kinda cool." Choji answered, smiling. "It reminded me how much of a tough girl you really are."

"Yeah, no argument there." Sasuke agreed.

I smiled, "Thanks guys." I replied. "Now, where is Naruto?"

Shikamaru pointed upward and I saw a familiar glow of chakra. _"The chakra of the nine tails." _I thought. I closed my eyes and smiled. _"Finish it, Naruto."_

I watched as Naruto head butted Gaara, hard enough that it crumpled the Shukaku manifestation away and both he and Gaara fell to the ground.

"That's a real classy way to end a battle." Shikamaru noted.

"This coming from you?" replied Choji, who giggled.

"We have to make sure he's alright." I said, sitting up.

"Hold it, you're not ready to walk just yet." Choji said, placing his hands on my shoulders.

"But I have to see if Naruto's okay." I argued.

Choji sighed, "At least let me carry you." he said.

I gasped and looked him in the eye. He was genuinely worried about my wellbeing and I caved. "Fine." I said.

Choji smiled and turned around, his back towards me. Shikamaru placed me on Choji's back and I laced my arms around his neck, tightly.

* * *

Choji leapt from branch to branch over where Naruto had fallen. Shikamaru and Sasuke were right behind us.

"Is Sakura alright?" I asked Sasuke.

He answered with a nod. "I left her with the ninja hounds for now." he said. "We'll get her and Naruto back to the village in due time."

I sighed in relief. "I'm just glad she's okay."

"We can say the same about you Kris." Choji inputted.

I giggled. "Right."

* * *

We found Naruto crawling slowly towards Gaara.

"Naruto, that's enough." Sasuke said as we landed beside Naruto. "Sakura's safe. The sand crumbled away, she's free."

"That's a relief." Naruto sighed. Then he laid his head down on the ground and passed out.

Just then, Temari and Kankurō appeared to take Gaara. Kankurō slung Gaara's arm around his shoulder, supporting his weight. As he turned around, Gaara's eyes met mine for a brief instant.

"I understand." I murmured, giving him a nod.

With that, Temari and Kankurō left with Gaara, not taking a single look back towards us.

"Now, can we go home?" Choji asked.

Sasuke chuckled, "Yeah, let's head back."

"I betcha all the fighting is over and done with now." Shikamaru added.

I smiled, "That would be nice."

As Choji turned around, we were met by two girls, who seemed to have been partially covered in scale-like patterns of red and blue.

"We're so glad you're all okay." breathed the girl with the blue scale pattern.

"We were getting worried." added the other girl with the red scale pattern.

Their voices sounded really familiar to me, and I hoped I was wrong. "Iris? Kallera?" I questioned.

The scale-like patterns receded and they were indeed, my littler sister and her best friend.

"Hi sissy." Kallera giggled.

"It's official, I've lost way too much blood." I muttered. "Choji, wake me when we get back home." I laid my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes, drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Kristin**: After everything we've been through, this loss is gonna haunt us forever. We grew up with the Third, and he'll always be a part of us.

**Helena**: He always talked about 'The Will of Fire', and it has been passed down to the next generation of shinobi.

**Kristin**: Next time: **The Third Hokage, Forever…**

* * *

**A/N: **There ya go guys, a long chapter with a nice fight scene in it. I hope ya'll enjoy. Review please!

XOXO~Cyber^^


	57. The Third Hokage, Forever

**The Third Hokage, Forever...**

* * *

I laid flat on my back, staring up at my bedroom ceiling. I kept saying in the back of my mind, 'this is all a dream, it can't be happening', but I knew it was wrong. It was the day after the Chūnin Exam Finals, and the day after the Suna and Oto shinobi invaded our village and nearly destroyed it. And the mastermind behind the whole thing, was none other than Orochimaru himself. I closed my eyes and remembered yesterday, what my father had said.

* * *

{Flashback}

Choji carried me on his back as we made our way back to the village. Kovu helped support Sakura who was still weak from being nearly crushed by Gaara's sand claw, Kallera and Iris were supporting Naruto, and Shikamaru was helping support Sasuke, who was also drained of chakra from the fight.

When we came back to the village, we were all shocked by the destruction we saw.

"There you guys are." came the voice of my dad, and sensei.

We turned in their direction and saw he was accompanied by other Jōnin as well. Two of them were Choza and Shikaku, the other was a man with dull-pink hair styled similar to a flower with sideburns that flowed into an angular moustache and a bit of stubble on his chin.

"Glad to see you all are okay and made it back safely." said the Jōnin whom I did not know.

"Daddy, what happened to the village?" Sakura asked the Jōnin, now I knew was her father.

"That's something we need to talk to you guys about." Choza cut in.

The looks on their faces scared me a little.

"Dad, what happened after you gave us our mission?" I asked my father, looking him in the eyes.

He sighed and put his headband over his Sharingan eye. "We lost someone very precious to the Village earlier." he answered.

"Lord Third Hokage, is no longer with us." Shikaku added.

All of us gasped and I gripped Choji's neck tighter.

"It seems Orochimaru was the one who did it." Sakura's father informed. "Preparations are being made for his funeral, which will be held tomorrow."

"Not only to honor the Third, but for all the other shinobi we lost today." Choza added.

I slowly got off Choji's back, my legs shaking.

"C'mon kids, let's go home." my dad sighed.

Sakura walked off with her dad, holding back tears. I gave Shikamaru his headband back and he returned mine. He and Choji left with their fathers, leaving me with my two male teammates, brother, sister, and her best friend. Sasuke and Naruto went off in their own direction while dad walked the remainder of us home.

After everything that happened today, I didn't want to believe it.

{End Flashback}

* * *

I took a deep breath and exhaled, sitting up. My black dress laid folded on my dresser and all I could do was stare down at it.

Realizing it was all real, I slipped out of my nightgown and into my black dress. I hung down to about my knees and I overlooked myself in the mirror. I had a small bandage over a small cut on my forehead, from the wound I got when Shukaku swung his claw at me.

I brushed through my medium-length hair, until it was smooth and silky. I grabbed my butterfly clip from my dresser and used it to pull my hair back, using it to cover the space where the pink and lavender melded together. The lavender portion of my hair hung down to the end of my shoulder blades. Lastly, I tied my headband around my neck, nice and tight.

I walked out of my room and saw Kallera leaning by the wall. "Sissy, will you fix my hair?" she asked, her blue eyes quivering.

"Sure thing." I answered, leading my sister towards the bathroom.

I brushed through her black hair until it was nice and smooth. I took a dark purple ribbon from the drawer and tied it just behind her pink bangs, and it set just like a headband. "There you go." I smiled at her.

"Thanks sissy." Kallera smiled back and sniffled.

I kissed the side of her head and walked out of the bathroom and headed towards the living room, where Kovu was leaning against the bar, his white hair hanging loose around his face.

"Where's Daddy?" Kallera asked, taking my hand.

"He told me he had somewhere else to go and would meet us at the funeral service." Kovu answered.

There was a knock at our front door and I went to answer it. Shikamaru and Choji were on the other side, both wearing black kimono-like shirts and pants.

"Thought we could walk together." Choji said, a sad expression on his face.

I nodded. I turned to my brother and sister and they followed shortly behind me. I was ahead of them, in between Choji and Shikamaru.

* * *

We met up with the rest of our respective squads in the same part of town where my team first met Gaara and his siblings. We all looked at each other and walked to the funeral setting in complete silence. The sky was grey above us and it looked like it was going to rain any second.

The funeral for all the fallen Shinobi, as well as Lord Third Hokage was held on the top of the Hokage's palace. Pictures of the fallen Shinobi were lined on a table, with the Third's right in the middle. The two elder advisors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane stood in front of all of us, with Homura leading in the eulogy.

Just as the service began, it started to rain.

"We are gathered here to not only remember the Third Hokage but to honor all those shinobi who gave their lives so that this village could survive." Homura began.

As he continued on and others placed white flowers in front of the pictures, I struggled to keep the tears from overflowing. But a few escaped and ran down my cheeks.

I felt both of my hands being clasped and when I opened my eyes, I saw Sasuke held my left hand and Shikamaru held my right.

Soon it came time for us to walk up and place flowers in front of Lord Hokage's photo. I looked at it and smiled weakly. _"Farewell, Lord Third." _

I returned to where I stood and took a shaky breath, reaching down to take Shikamaru's and Sasuke's hands once more, feeling the comfort of my friends.

The Jōnin sensei of the Rookie squads, as well as Guy-sensei and Konoha-sensei, laid flowers at the Third's photo and bowed their heads respectively.

To keep myself from crying harder, I squeezed my friends' hands tighter. It hit me that my generation basically grew up under the watchful eye of the Third Hokage. He came to our classes a lot and taught us valuable lessons, and to repay him for all that he did, we chose to thank him in song, the day of our graduation from the Academy.

* * *

{Flashback}

Konoha-sensei rearranged the room we used for choir practice so it would be less crowded for when we performed for the Third Hokage. She set thirteen chairs in a semi-circle towards the back of the room, one for each of us Rookies to sit in.

"Now, Lord Hokage will be here any minute, so I'm gonna let you guys get set up." Konoha-sensei said. "Sit with your teammates in order by squads."

So going from left to right it was Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, myself, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Ichiro, Orchi, Sakoku, Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji.

Konoha-sensei escorted Lord Third into the room and he sat in the very front, smiling at each one of us.

"I am so pleased to see a group of fine, young shinobi." he said, nodding his head. "Konoha says you all have prepared something for me?"

I cleared my throat. "Yes, Lord Hokage." I answered. "We all just wanna thank you for teaching us so many different things over the years."

"For actually taking time out of your day to check up on us, and help us with our training." Orchi added.

"You're an inspiration to all of us, and we wanna thank you in our own little way." Ino followed.

"And this song expresses what we all feel." Sakura added.

"We just hope you like it." Hinata finished.

Konoha-sensei strummed a few notes on her guitar as a small introduction to the song. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and kicked it off…

"Those school girl days  
Of telling tales and biting nails are gone  
But in my mind  
I know they will still live on and on…"

Orchi sang the next verse, her hands clasped in her lap.

"But how do you thank someone  
Who has taken you from crayons to perfume?"

Naruto sang the next line.

"Oh, it isn't easy, but I'll try."

When it came to the chorus we all sang in unison.

"If you wanted the sky, I would  
Write across the sky in letters  
That would soar a thousand feet high  
To sir, with love"

Hinata and Kiba sang the next few lines as a duet.

"The time has come  
For closing books  
And long last looks must end."

I sang the next line with Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Choji.

"And as I leave  
I know that I am leaving my best friend."

Sakura and Ino sang the next few lines together.

"A friend who taught me right from wrong  
And weak from strong  
That's a lot to learn"

Ichiro sang the next line solo.

"What can I give you in return?"

We all sang the rest of the song in unison.

"Oh If you wanted the moon, I would  
Try and make a start, but I  
Would rather you let me give my heart  
To sir, with love…"

Lord Third applauded our song and us girls were tearing up.

"That was beautiful kids." he complimented, standing up. "Thank you very much for that. I'll remember this always." he gave us a big smile and we all embraced him. "The Will of Fire has been passed to the next generation, you all will make this village proud, I'm sure of it." he blew a small puff of smoke from his pipe. "And remember this kids, 'When the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew.'"

{End Flashback}

* * *

The rain let up as the funeral came to an end. Late last night, all of us leaf Genin, by request of Konoha-sensei's three students, we all met in the music room at the Academy and Arée suggested that we sing a song at the end of the funeral. In light of the recent tragedy the befell us the previous day, we all agreed on a song that would reflect the joy that the Third brought to every one of us.

Arée set her music box, which she covered before the funeral so it wouldn't get wet, on a stool and cranked up the volume. We all leaned against the railing and stood in front of Hokage Mountain, as the instrumental melody began to play.

I closed my eyes and began…

"Smile though your heart is aching  
Smile even though it's breaking  
When there are clouds in the sky…"

Sasuke joined me for the next few lines.

"You'll get by  
If you smile through your pain and sorrow  
Smile and maybe tomorrow  
You'll see the sun come shining through for you."

Orchi chimed in with the next verse.

"Light up your face with gladness  
Hide every trace of sadness  
Although a tear  
may be ever so near."

Sakoku, Neji, and Tenten joined Orchi for the next few lines.

"That's the time you must keep on trying  
Smile, what's the use of crying?  
You'll find that life is still worthwhile

If you just smile…"

Neji, myself, and Rose vocalized for a minute in transition between verses.

"Oooooo"  
"Oh, ooh"  
"Ooh yeah, yeah, yeah"

We all sang the repeated chorus in unison, with Arée adding a small vocalization after every few lines.

"That's the time (That's the time) you must keep on trying (Ooooh)  
(Smile) Smile, what's the use of crying? (Ooooh)  
You'll find that life is still worthwhile

If you just smile."

Tenten and Neji sang the next two lines, with Ino repeated the second half of each.

"Smile though your heart is aching (Is aching)  
Smile even though it's breaking ( It's breaking)"

The boys sang the first part of the next line, with us girls repeating it and continuing on.

"(When there are) When there are clouds in the sky  
You'll get by…"

Sasuke, Shikamaru, and myself sang the next repeat with the others repeating parts of the lyrics.

"That's the time (That's the time) you must keep on trying (Keep on trying)  
(Smile) Smile, what's the use of crying? (What's the use of crying?)

You'll find that life  
Is still worthwhile  
If you just…Smile"

The final lyrics were sung as a trio by myself, Sasuke, and Shikamaru.

"You'll find that life is still worthwhile  
If you just smile…Smile."

* * *

Those who watched were smiling and clapping, and we wiped the moisture that was forming in our eyes. A gentle breeze flew by and we all knew it was Third's way of thanking us for the song.

Arée packed up her music box and left with Shirayuki and Rose. Everyone else seemed to go their own separate ways.

"Let's go have lunch together." Choji suggested.

I exchanged a glance with Sasuke, who reluctantly agreed.

"Cool, let me just tell my dad." I told them, walking off in my father's direction.

"Hey Kristin." dad greeted.

"Dad, um I'm gonna go to lunch with Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Choji." I informed. "Is that okay?"

Dad looked over at my three friends before answering. "I suppose so, just don't be out too late."

I nodded and hugged him. "Thanks dad. Love you."

Dad chuckled, "I love you too, sweetie."

I ran and rejoined my friends and the four of us walked to the Barbeque restaurant. Despite what happened, the village being nearly destroyed and loosing its leader, I believe that Konohagakure will rise up from the rubble and be even greater than before. We may be a small village, but we're united when it comes to protecting it, and that's what makes us strong.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Kristin**: Well, it's time to start rebuilding the village.

**Choji**: I know Shikara's shop was basically destroyed in the assault and she's asked if we would like to help.

**Kristin**: I don't mind at all. I like Shikara, she's great.

**Shikamaru**: She's just using us a free, manual labor.

**Kristin**: Next time: **Reconstruction of the Hidden Leaf.**

**Helena**: I sense something has entered the village, and I'm not liking it at all.

* * *

**A/N: **Well, that's it for the **Invasion of Konoha Arc** of my story. I hope ya'll enjoyed it even though it was only seven chapters long. And the next one is only five chapters long, and they'll be about 55% original at least. Anyways, the two musical numbers I added in were _Glee_ covers of _To Sir, With Love_ and _Smile (Charlie Chaplin cover) _which I thought worked well with this chapter. Review please!

XOXO~Cyber^^


	58. Reconstruction

**Reconstruction of the Hidden Leaf**

* * *

It's been a few days since Lord Third's memorial and the Hidden Leaf was beginning the process of reconstruction. The Sunagakure and Otogakure shinobi sure did a number on the village when they attacked, leaving the majority of the shops and homes in ruins. So, being the united village we are, every available, able bodied man and woman, as well as ninja, were helping rebuild anything they could.

Choji picked me up and brought some homemade breakfast dumplings that his mother made.

"These are great." I complimented, smiling.

"Yeah, my mom wanted us to have a filling breakfast before heading out to help Shikara." Choji told me. "Just to keep our energy up, she even packed lunches for us."

I giggled. "You're mom is pretty thoughtful, she didn't need to pack one for me."

Choji shrugged his shoulders, "You're my friend, she didn't mind at all."

I finished off my dumpling and sighed. "So how is Shikara doing?" I asked. "I heard her arm was broken during the fight with the Suna Jōnin that led Gaara's squad."

Choji nodded. "She's doing fine, although she can't do much hard labor due to the break, but she'll be fine in a few weeks."

I nodded. "Well, that's good news."

I sighed and continued to walk next to Choji as we made our way to the Nara stronghold. My mind was on the other day, when Orchi confided in me something that upset her and shocked me.

* * *

{Flashback}

I met Orchi by the riverbank, where she was sitting with her feet in the water, her hands clasped in her lap. Rin, her personal summon was curled up in a ball next to her.

"Hey Orchi." I greeted, walking up to her.

She turned her head over her shoulder and smiled at me. "Hi Kris, thanks for coming." she replied.

I sat next to her, slipping my sandals off and putting my feet in the water. "No prob, you said you really needed to talk to me. So, spill." I said. "What's on your mind?"

Orchi clasped her hands tighter and sighed. "Well, the day after Lord Third's funeral, my mom sat down with Ichiro and I, to tell us something about our father." she answered, her golden-brown eyes full of depression.

"Your father huh?" I questioned. "Well, what did she tell you?"

Orchi's hands suddenly turned to fists and she bit her lip in frustration. "She said he used to be a great shinobi, well renowned throughout the village, and even further." she answered. "She then added how he was sweet, and romantic, with her anyway. That he always thought of her when he was away on missions, and even brought her back presents from other lands."

"He sounds kinda nice." I chided, smiling.

"I thought so too." Orchi agreed. "Until she told us his name. Then I felt like breaking something." she fisted the cloth of her kimono skirt and shut her eyes tightly, and I saw tears fall down her cheeks.

"Orchi, who did she say your father was?" I asked, now worried. I had never really see her cry like this before, it was a mixture of sadness and anger.

"I mean, I guessed I should've known, what with my jutsu and all, not to mention the summoning contract mom passed down to us." Orchi sighed, stroking Rin's head.

"You can tell me." I prided, placing my hand on her shoulder. "I won't judge, promise." I held my right hand up and smiled.

Orchi sighed heavily. "And you have to promise that you won't tell anybody else." she added.

I nodded. "Deal."

"Okay…" Orchi looked down at Rin, before looking back at me. "My father, and Ichiro's as well is…" she sighed again before answering. "…Orochimaru."

{End Flashback}

* * *

"Yo, earth to Kristin." Choji said, snapping his fingers in front of my face.

"Huh? Yeah?" I asked, looking at him.

"I said we're almost there." Choji told me.

I looked ahead and saw Shikamaru leaning against the side wall of his cousin's shop, which was three-fourths destroyed. The look on his face screamed 'boredom'.

"Right, let's get to work." I voted, running ahead to greet my other friend.

"'Bout time you two showed up." Shikamaru said, pushing off the wall.

"Sorry, Kris dazed off on me." Choji chuckled, patting my shoulder.

I shot him a glare and pouted. "It was nothing." I said. "We're here now, so what's the job?"

A chuckle came from the other side of the wall. "Just to start rebuilding this place." Shikara answered, turning the corner to look at us. Her hair was pulled back into a low braid and her left arm was in a sling. "And try to make it a little bit bigger than before. I was looking for an excuse to remodel it anyway." she added.

* * *

So, the three of us grabbed piles of wood and began patching up some of the holes on the remaining wall. Soon, a team of construction workers showed up to aid in rebuilding the more damaged portions of the shop, basically the parts that needed to be rebuilt entirely.

The sun beat down hard on us and I wiped the sweat from my forehead. "Choji, give me a lift to the roof, will ya?" I asked.

Choji nodded and lifted me into his arms, executing his 'Expansion Jutsu' to give me the lift. "There ya go, girl." he smiled that same dorky smile that made me giggle.

"Thanks Choji." I replied, returning his smile.

I hammered in the wood on the roof, patching up some loose places here and there. A few hours had passed and it only got hotter as the day went on.

* * *

"Okay, time for a lunch break!" Choji called up to me.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and jumped from the roof, landing perfectly on the ground. "Good, because I sure worked up an appetite." I giggled.

Shikara had a blanket set up with the three boxed lunches Mrs. Akimichi made for us, along with three tall glasses of lemonade. The three of us sat down in the shade and ate while the construction team went back to work on the shop.

"This is well deserved." Shikamaru sighed, leaning back.

I sighed in agreement. "Yeah, it's a scorcher today. This lemonade hit's the spot."

Choji was busy stuffing his face to immediately add to the conversation. "Hey Kris, where's Sasuke?" he asked, rice covering his chin.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I have no idea." I answered, honestly. "Probably training alone somewhere, knowing him."

"Are you ever gonna tell us what happened to him during his fight with Gaara?" Shikamaru asked, looking at me.

I avoided his gaze. "It's not really something for me to tell." I replied. "I mean, it's really complicating and…" I sighed and sipped my lemonade. "you know, just forget it okay. It's not really important." I went back to eating my lunch and Shikamaru dropped the question.

I honestly didn't know if I should tell them about the curse mark or not. Both of them have been a little suspicious since their team saved mine in the Forest of Death, a little over a month ago. Part of me wanted to explain everything that happened with Orochimaru and the second exam, but I told Sasuke I wouldn't say anything. I hated keeping secrets from Choji and Shikamaru, but I didn't see any other option at the present moment.

* * *

After lunch, we went back to helping rebuild the shop. Choji and Shikamaru started painting the wall we finished while I went back to work on the roof. The sun beat down on me and I could feel the sweat forming all over my face and the heat of the sun's rays slightly burning my skin.

"Okay, did it just get hotter or is it just me?" I asked, looking down at my two friends.

They looked up at me and shrugged their shoulders. "Don't know, we're not the ones directly underneath the sun." Shikamaru answered.

"So maybe it is just you." Choji added.

I wiped my forehead with my forearm and sighed. "Maybe, I guess."

Shikamaru leaned the latter up against the far side of the wall where it was yet to be painted and climbed up, handing me a thermos of water. "Maybe this'll help." he said.

I took the thermos and gulped down the cool liquid. The dizziness I was feeling seemed to disappear. I poured a little bit into the cap and splashed it on my face, sighing.

"You're looking a little pale there Kris." Shikamaru noted, "Except for your cheeks, which are really red. Sure you're feeling alright?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I was probably dehydrated is all." I answered, smiling. "I'm better now."

"If you say so." Shikamaru sighed and climbed back down, leaving the latter where it was.

I took a deep breath and exhaled, then went back to work. In the back of my mind, I had a feeling that something was just off, and I couldn't place what it was, or what it meant. If I had to describe the sensation I felt, I would say…ominous.

* * *

As I hammered in a few nails I felt a gust of wind blow right past my face. I looked up, in the direction of the village gate and felt leaves brush by my face in a small whirlwind.

"_What is going on?" _I asked myself. _"Is something happening at the village gate?"_

I shook my head and sighed. I was probably being paranoid or something like that. I had my own job to do and I should be focusing on that, so I pushed that feeling back and continued working. That seemed to work for the next ten minutes or so.

Then, out of the blue, I started feeling a sharp pain in my lower abdominal area. The pain would fade, then strike again, then fade, then strike again. It was faint, but still enough to make me feel a little wobbly.

"_What the hell was that?" _I thought, breathing heavily.

I slowly crawled over to where the top of the latter was. Maybe I was overheating and just needed to rest a while. My wrist gave way and I knocked off the hammer and remaining nails.

Taking slow breaths, I gripped the latter and slowly descended.

"Kristin, you okay?" Choji asked.

I exhaled deeply. "Yeah, just need to lay down is all." I answered, smiling. "I think I'm a bit overheated from working in the sun too long."

I slowly climbed down the latter, feeling another small breeze blow by me. I looked up at the sky and in a flash, it inverted for a second, before reverting to normal. I heard the dull echo of a scream of pain, and gasped.

"Daddy." I breathed.

Then my body felt numb and my eyelids grew heavy. Everything around me was starting to echo and I felt the sensation as if I were falling. Then everything went dark altogether as I heard a faint 'thud'.

* * *

Next time…

**Kristin**: Dad? What the hell happened to him?

**Choji**: Why is he unconscious? Was there a fight or something?

**Konoha**: Yes, there was. And that's what we need to talk to you guys about.

**Kovu**: What exactly is going on here?

**Shikamaru**: And why do I get the feeling that what happened was something bad?

**Kristin**: Next time: **A Shocking Reveal!**

**Asuma**: What we're about to tell you, cannot leave this room.

* * *

**A/N: **I know, cliffhanger ending. The reason that Kristin was feeling what she felt is because she was sensing what was going on with Kakashi during his fight with Itatchi. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter, review please^^

XOXO~Cyber


	59. Revelation

**A Shocking Reveal**

* * *

My senses were slowly returning and I felt the coolness of ice being rubbed over my forehead. When I opened my eyes I saw that my legs were slightly elevated and that Choji was the one rubbing ice on my face.

"She's coming to." Choji said, his voice echoing.

I struggled to sit up, only to fall backwards…into Shikamaru's chest. "Easy there." he said, gripping my shoulders.

"What the hell happened?" I asked, running my fingers through my hair.

"You passed out, that's what happened." Choji answered.

"Seriously. Gave us quite a scare there." Shikamaru added, holding a full thermos in his hand. He tilted it to my lips and helped me drink, and feeling the cool liquid run down my throat was just what I needed.

"Sorry guys, I honestly don't know what happened." I apologized, wiping the water from my chin. "I mean, one second I'm perfectly fine, the next, I feel like I'm being stabbed by blades or something. Then I got really lightheaded and then…nothing."

"Maybe you have been working out in the sun too long." Choji said.

I shrugged my shoulders, "Beats me. I honestly don't know."

"Hey, we're just glad you were partially down the latter before you passed out and didn't just fall from the roof." Shikamaru added.

"Yeah, still, now I just can't shake the feeling something isn't right." I sighed and stood up, shaking off the dizziness I felt.

* * *

That's when Asuma-sensei showed up, running up to us.

"There you are Kristin." he said, approaching me.

"What are you doing here Asuma-sensei?" Choji asked.

"And why do you have bandages on your arm?" Shikamaru added.

"I'll explain that later, right now Kristin needs to go home right away." Asuma said.

"Is something wrong?" I asked him, now completely worried.

"Just follow me." Asuma ordered, before turning back towards the direction he came.

I ran after him with Choji and Shikamaru following me. What could be so urgent that Asuma wanted me to go home, unless it had something to do with the feeling I had earlier. If that was the case, I picked up my speed and ran ahead of Asuma-sensei.

* * *

When I came home, the door was already unlocked. I slowly walked inside, looking around.

"Dad?" I called. "Hello?"

"Follow me." said Asuma, who walked ahead of me, towards the stairs.

With Shikamaru and Choji beside me, we followed Asuma up the stairs, he stopped at my father's bedroom door.

I opened it and what I saw inside was something that at the same time both scared me and confused me.

* * *

My dad was laying in his bed, sound asleep it looked like. Kallera was curled up next him, her head on his left shoulder, and it looked like she had been crying. Kovu was sitting at the foot of the bed. Guy-sensei was leaning against the back wall, Satsuki-sensei was leaning against the dresser, Kurenai-sensei was sitting in the desk chair, and Konoha-sensei was sitting on the desk itself.

"Dad?" I questioned, slowly approaching the bed. I kicked my sandals at the foot of the bed.

I climbed on and laid on the other side of my father, and noticed his breathing was slow, but steady. I could feel moisture forming in my eyes.

"What happened to him?" I asked, in a whimpering voice.

"That's what we're here to talk to you about." Kurenai answered.

"But what we're about to tell you, cannot leave this room." Asuma added, moving to stand next to Kurenai.

"We're serious about this you guys." Satsuki said, sternly. "You can't tell anyone else, especially Sasuke."

"Why not Sasuke?" Choji asked.

"Yeah, if something happened to Kakashi-sensei, shouldn't Sasuke know about it?" Shikamaru added. "I mean, it is his teacher after all."

Guy sighed. "It's not that simple Shikamaru." he said.

"If Sasuke ever learns what happened, it won't be pretty." Konoha added.

"What the hell happened to my father that made him fall unconscious?" I asked, wiping the tears from my eyes.

Shikamaru sat down next to me and wrapped him arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to him. I laid my head on his shoulder, reaching down to hold my dad's hand.

"Well earlier today two people, unknown by any of us at first, entered the village." Satsuki started. "Kurenai, Asuma, Konoha, and myself went to see who they were. And when we found out, it shocked us all."

"So, who were they?" Kovu asked.

"One of them was Kisame Hoshigaki, and S-ranked criminal from the Hidden Mist village, and a former Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist." Kurenai answered.

"And the other one?" Choji asked, gulping.

"Was none other than Itatchi Uchiha." Asuma answered.

Me, Kallera, Choji, Kovu, and Shikamaru all gasped.

"Wait, Itatchi actually showed his face in this village again?" Shikamaru questioned. "After what he did, he had the guts to come back here?"

"And he's the one who put my father in a coma?" I asked.

Konoha nodded. "Yes, we tried to fight them but it was no use."

"So that's why you guys need to keep this a secret." Guy added. "If Sasuke ever figured out that Itatchi was here then…"

"Then he'll do whatever it took to find him, and kill him." I finished. I looked down at my dad and sighed. _"He must've given it his all when fighting against Itatchi." _I thought. _"Is that why I had that feeling earlier? Could I have been sensing that my father was in trouble?"_

"Okay so he came back, that doesn't explain why my dad's in a coma." Kovu pointed out.

"Itatchi must've used some kind of Genjutsu on Kakashi and that's what put him in this condition." Asuma answered.

"I wouldn't put it past him." I muttered, releasing my dad's hand.

"So, why did he even come back here?" Kallera asked, rubbing her eyes. "Why did Itatchi come back to the village after all this time?"

The five Jōnin sighed in unison. "That's another thing, we can't really disclose that information with you kids." Satsuki answered.

"It's classified for anybody under the rank of Chūnin." Kurenai added.

"Okay that's real helpful." Shikamaru sighed, leaning against the wall. "So with that information, Itatchi came back to village, was met with opposition in the form of six Jōnin, incapacitated one of them, didn't find what he was looking for and retreated." he deducted, lacing his hands behind his head.

Asuma cracked a smile and held a cigarette in between his teeth. "That's it in a nutshell." he said, "Nice deductive reasoning." he lit his own cigarette before lighting Konoha's.

"Well maybe he just didn't want to draw any more unwanted attention." Choji suggested.

I scoffed. "Good thing, considering how there's an execution order on his head." I added. "He is an S-ranked criminal after all, not to mention a rogue ninja from our village."

Kallera mumbled something that I didn't understand, but when I saw the look in her eyes, I had a hunch on what it was.

"Kal, I've told you this." I said to her. "The little crush was cute when you were five, but it's time you faced reality. Itatchi is a cold-blooded killer who only spared Sasuke's life to avoid guilt have exterminated his entire clan." I added. "Shirayuki was somewhere else at the time and he probably couldn't have gotten to her without raising complete alarm in the village, so he just stuck to everyone in the stronghold."

She reached over dad and slugged me right in the arm, making me flinch.

"You don't need to be so mean about it." Kallera muttered.

I rolled my eyes. "How else am I supposed to say it?" I questioned. "I lost all respect for Itatchi after that night. He deserves to pay for what he did."

Kallera looked away from me and buried her face into the pillow next to dad, while I closed my eyes and laid back, crossing my legs and sighing.

"I think your front door just opened." Shikamaru told me.

* * *

I opened my eyes and could hear footsteps coming up the stairs. I shot up just as the bedroom door opened…and Sasuke walked in.

"Kakashi." he said, before stopping. Sasuke looked around the room. "Why is Kakashi asleep? And why are there five other Jōnin here?" he asked.

I slid to the edge of the bed. "Sasuke, I can explain."

"Kristin, what the hell is going on here?" he asked me.

"See, dad and Guy were having a friendly sparring match, and things got a little out of hand-" I lied, but was cut off when another Jōnin, named Aoba rushed in.

"Is it true that Itatchi Uchiha was spotted in the village?" Aoba asked. "And that he's after Naruto?"

"Naruto?" Choji, Shikamaru, and I questioned in unison.

"Idiot." Konoha mumbled.

"You always barge in at the worst possible moment Aoba, as usual." Satsuki muttered. "Damned bastard."

I looked at Sasuke and his expression grew hard. Then, he spun on his heels and ran out the door.

"Sasuke! Sasuke wait!" I called after him, but it was already too late. I slid off the bed, slipped my sandals on and sighed.

I turned and jumped out the open bedroom window, and saw Sasuke run off in the direction of Naruto's house.

* * *

I chased after him with Choji and Shikamaru on my heels.

"Why do you think Itatchi would be after Naruto?" Choji asked.

"Beats me." Shikamaru answered.

"That doesn't matter now." I told them. "We need to stop Sasuke from rushing into a suicide mission."

I picked up my speed and followed Sasuke to Naruto's place. I got there just in time to see Sasuke leave. I stopped suddenly and nearly ran into Sakura.

"Kristin, what the hell?" she asked, stepping back.

"Have you seen Naruto at all?" I asked, catching my breath.

Sakura shook her head. "No, I just got here to give him some sweet dumplings." she answered, holding a box covered with a purple cloth. "I was on my way to bring you and Kakashi-sensei some."

"Okay, thanks appreciate it." I said, backing up and turning to the direction Sasuke went. "Thanks Sakura!"

I jumped over the railing and followed Sasuke down the village streets. Shikamaru and Choji kept up with me.

* * *

I found Sasuke in front of the Ichiraku Ramen shop. I used that opportunity to catch my breath and listened to Teuchi as he informed Sasuke where Naruto went.

"He was here around noon and had a few bowls of ramen." Teuchi explained. "Then he set out with Master Jiraiya."

"Where'd they go?" I asked, stepping inside the restaurant.

"I think he mentioned that outpost town a ways out from the village." Teuchi answered.

"So Naruto is with Jiraiya?" I questioned, wanting to be sure.

"Yes." Teuchi confirmed. "Now if your looking for Jiraiya, he's a big old fella with a head of white hair."

"I know, I've met him once before." I said. "Thanks for the help."

Sasuke rushed out of the restaurant with me, Shikamaru, and Choji on his heels. We ran as fast as we could and soon enough, we were out of the village and running down a forest path.

"Once we get to that town, we'll split up and search for Naruto." Sasuke said.

"Good idea, we'll break into groups of two." I added. "And I'll summon up two ninja hounds that could track Naruto's scent."

"Just please don't let it be that bossy pug." Shikamaru pleaded.

"Hey I just signed the contract two days ago, I have no control over who I summon." I reminded. "If Pakkun is one of them then he'll come with Sasuke and me, how's that."

"Fine by me." Choji agreed.

"Yeah, whatever." Shikamaru sighed.

* * *

We made it to the outpost town and it was beyond crowded.

"Trying to find those two morons is gonna be like finding a needle in a haystack." Shikamaru sighed. "Oh man, I knew this was gonna be a drag."

"That's why we have ninja hounds." I reminded, drawing blood from my left thumb. I executed the sequence Boar → Dog → Bird → Monkey → Ram and slammed my left hand down on the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!"

In a puff of smoke, two ninja hounds appeared. One of them was Urushi, who had white and light-brown fur, along with long spiky tufts of hair on his head, his eyes had an angry look to them and, being one of my father's summons, he wore the standard blue vest with the heno-heno-moheji seal and a Konoha forehead protector around his neck. The second hound was Guruko, who had tan fur, a white snout, long ears that were dark brown in color and he had noticeably more pronounced whiskers than the other dogs, also wearing the blue vest and forehead protector.

"You called us Kris?" Guruko asked.

"Yeah, we need your help in finding Naruto." I answered. "Guruko, you're gonna help Choji and Shikamaru. Urushi, you're with Sasuke and me."

"Sounds like a plan to me kiddo." Urushi said, in his usual gruff voice.

"How should we signal each other once we've found them?" Shikamaru asked.

"One of us hounds will just let out a howl." Guruko answered. "It's how we always communicate."

"Let's move." Sasuke ordered. And we divulged into our teams, each team taking half of the town.

* * *

Due to there being so many people and food stands, it was hard for Urushi, and I guess Guruko as well, to pick out any certain scent.

"Guess we'll have to go door to door then if we want to find them." I said, looking around.

"Then, let's go." Sasuke suggested, running towards the first hotel he saw.

"What's the hurry?" Urushi asked, looking up at me.

"Long story boy, I'll explain later." I answered, following Sasuke. Urushi huffed and stayed by my side.

* * *

We hit every hotel we saw, giving short descriptions of Naruto and Jiraiya, but didn't have any luck.

"Where could he be?" I asked, laying my hands on my knees and catching my breath.

"Let's try that one, down there." Sasuke said, pointing to the next hotel.

I groaned and followed him, with Urushi

We ran up to the front desk, "Is there a dorky blonde kid, around our age, staying here with a big, white haired old man?" Sasuke asked the receptionist.

It took him about five minutes before he said that two people fitting the descriptions were staying in the Inn.

"What room number?" Sasuke asked.

"Let's see, that would be room number one on the second floor." he answered, but Sasuke was already running up the stairs.

"Thank you very much!" I called to him as I followed Sasuke.

"Ma'am, we don't allow pets!" he called to me, but I was halfway up the stairs by then and Urushi wasn't stopping.

* * *

We came to the room and I caught my breath. "I think I've gotten more of workout within the last hour than I have since I started ninja training." I panted.

Urushi nodded in agreement, his tongue was hanging out of his mouth. "No kidding, kiddo." he barked.

Sasuke knocked on the room door. After he knocked a few times, the door handle twitched.

"Naruto!" we both yelled, only the dorky, blonde kid who opened the door wasn't Naruto. And the white haired, old man sitting at the table was defiantly not Jiraiya.

"Sorry, wrong room." I apologized, pulling the door shut.

* * *

I grabbed Sasuke by the arm and we ran out of the inn and on to the next one. Hopefully that one would be the right one.

"_Oh Naruto, please be alright by the time we find you. And I hope we don't run into Itatchi when we do." _I thought.

* * *

Next time…

**Shikamaru**: I knew this thing would be a drag. Think Sasuke and Kristin found him yet?

**Choji**: Who knows, but I've found a great snack booth.

**Guruko**: Idiots.

**Kristin**: Oh no, we're too late.

**Sasuke**: It's time I fulfill my goal and avenge my clan.

**Kristin**: Next time: **Roar, Chidori! Brother vs. Brother!** This is not gonna be good.

* * *

**A/N: **Double feature! So this chapter was a little bit longer than the previous one, but that's fine by me. I hope you all enjoyed it and are looking forward to the big fight between Itatchi and Sasuke, because I know I'm kinda looking forward to writing it. And I know that later on in _Naruto:Shippuden, _Itatchi's true reason for slaughtering the clan is revealed, but since no one else in the village really knew the real reason, what Kristin stated about Itatchi is what she believes, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and that's just hers. Review please^^

XOXO~Cyber


	60. Brother vs Brother

**Roar, Chidori! Brother vs. Brother!**

* * *

We came to the room and I caught my breath. "I think I've gotten more of workout within the last hour than I have since I started ninja training." I panted.

Urushi nodded in agreement, his tongue was hanging out of his mouth. "No kidding, kiddo." he barked.

Sasuke knocked on the room door. After he knocked a few times, the door handle twitched.

"Naruto!" we both yelled, only the dorky, blonde kid who opened the door wasn't Naruto. And the white haired, old man sitting at the table was defiantly not Jiraiya.

"Sorry, wrong room." I apologized, pulling the door shut.

I grabbed Sasuke by the arm and we ran out of the inn and on to the next one. Hopefully that one would be the right one.

"_Oh Naruto, please be alright by the time we find you. And I hope we don't run into Itatchi when we do." _I thought.

* * *

"He's here, I can feel it." Sasuke breathed as we ran out of the next motel. "This way."

"Sasuke wait!" I called, but it was no use.

"Damn." Urushi cursed.

"This is going to end badly." I predicted, catching my breath. "Let's go Urushi." I ran ahead after Sasuke with the ninja hound at my heels.

As we made our way to the last Inn in the town, I could see Sasuke's body tense up, and I knew he was remembering that night. The night that Itatchi killed every single member of the Uchiha Clan, only sparing Sasuke and Shirayuki.

"_Oh Sasuke." _I mentally sighed. _"Please don't do anything too rash when we catch up to them. I don't want to know what it feels like to watch a comrade die right in front of me…at least, not yet."_

I shook off the negative feelings I felt and did my best to keep up with Sasuke.

"Urushi, since we're getting close, signal Guruko." I ordered.

"Right." Urushi nodded and threw his head up, letting out a howl.

It appeared masked by the busy crowd, but I knew Guruko heard it. And I hoped that Choji and Shikamaru would find us in time before things got too bad.

* * *

I followed him up two flights of stairs to a hallway, and that's where we saw Naruto staring down two tall, cloaked figures, that I was assuming were Itatchi and Kisame.

"It's been a long time." Itatchi said, his back to Sasuke and me. "Sasuke."

Sasuke clenched his hands into fists. "Itatchi…Uchiha." he said through gritted teeth. His eyes were blazing with the Sharingan.

"Well, the Sharingan." noted the taller figured, wearing a Hidden Mist headband. "And he looks an awful lot like you. Itatchi, who is this kid?"

"He's my younger brother." Itatchi answered.

"I see, but the way I heard it, the whole Uchiha clan was wiped out, by you." Kisame reminded.

I could see the look of shock plastered on Naruto's face. He quickly locked gazes with me and I gave him a nod.

"Itatchi Uchiha." Sasuke directed. "I hope you're ready to die."

"_He's out of his mind." _Helena barked.

"_This is what he's been training so hard for, all these years." _I reminded. _"To avenge his clan by killing Itatchi. I just hope he's strong enough." _I gulped.

"_I wouldn't bet on it." _Helena said. _"From what I'm sensing, both of these guys are trouble, with a capital 'T'." _

"It's just as you said brother. I've fostered my hatred for you." Sasuke said, his Sharingan locked with Itatchi's. "I've lived my life for one, single purpose." electrical chakra formed in his hand, the Chidori. "To see you die! It ends here!"

He swung his arm back and ran straight for Itatchi. However, Itatchi just brushed the attack aside, creating a giant hole in the side wall.

He gripped Sasuke's wrist tightly, both of them locking gazes for what seemed like a good minute or two. Itatchi tightened his grip and heard the sounds of bones cracking.

Naruto clasped his hands together and shut his eyes, and soon he was engulfed in a swirling cloud of red chakra.

"_That's the Nine-Tails' chakra." _I noted, mentally.

Kisame swung his sword, which was covered in bandages, and it cut right through the chakra cloud. At the same time, Itatchi snapped Sasuke's wrist, causing him to collapse on his knees.

"Okay, this is probably gonna be the stupidest thing I've ever done." I noted. I wove three signs, Ox → Rabbit → Monkey, and pointed my palm downward, focusing my chakra. I could feel it coming through and felt the electric intensity. "Lightning Blade!"

I held my arm down and charged towards Itatchi, hoping this would work.

"Not a chance." Itatchi muttered, gripping my wrist and halting my chakra flow.

I gasped in pain and fell to my knees, but Itatchi pulled me up, still gripping my wrist.

"Well now, another Sharingan." Kisame chuckled.

"Yes, she gets it from her father." Itatchi informed.

Kisame looked at me and grinned. "So this is the Copy Ninja's brat?"

"One of them." Itatchi clarified. "This is his oldest daughter."

Itatchi's grip tightened and I winced in pain. I closed my eyes and tried to bring Helena's seal to the surface, and hoped that would help. Kisame swung his sword at me and it barely nicked my shoulder, but it sent a sharp pain down my arm and I cried out. I cracked my eye open and saw three, small yet deep, scratch marks on my shoulder and blood ran down the length of my arm.

"What do you want with Naruto?" I asked.

"It's nothing you need to concern yourself with, Kristin dear." Itatchi answered, his eyes cold.

I winced in pain as Itatchi tightened his grip on my wrist. "It is my business, since he's my teammate." I spat, glaring at him.

"None of this concerns you." Itatchi repeated, yanking me closer to him, making me yelp. "Now I suggest you leave, before something really bad happens to you." he pulled me down and slammed his elbow on my forearm, and another stab of pain shot through my arm and I screamed out in pain.

"Kristin!" Naruto yelled.

"Naruto…" I grunted, holding my arm close to my chest. "…get out of here…now!" I ordered.

Itatchi gripped my by the cloth of my top and tossed me away. I rolled a few times and my head slammed against the wall. I could feel blood running down the side of my face, but my arm was in so much pain it was unbearable.

"You okay kid?" Urushi asked.

"No." I whimpered, clutching my arm, biting back tears.

"Kristin!" Shikamaru and Choji called.

I looked up and saw them run towards me, Guruko stood next to Urushi.

"What the hell?" Shikamaru asked, noticing the blood on my face. "What happened?"

I turned my head and motioned towards where Itatchi was. "We were too late, they beat us here."

"Why is Sasuke on the ground?" Choji asked.

"I think Itatchi snapped his wrist." I answered, sitting up but still holding my arm.

"Kris? You're arm…" Shikamaru stared to say.

"Is broken in two places." I finished, wincing in pain. "I know, it hurts like hell."

"You couldn't have waited till we arrived?" Shikamaru asked.

"I had to help out my teammates, Shikamaru." I snapped. "But now I can't even weave signs. At least, not without crying in pain." I leaned against the wall and breathed through the pain. I looked at the two ninja hounds. "You guys should probably go."

"See ya 'round kid." Urushi said, before he and Guruko disappeared in a puff of smoke.

I tried to move, but the pain in my arm was too much. I bit my lip and gasped, then whimpered.

"Take it easy." Shikamaru advised, supporting me.

"One of you needs to help Naruto." I said, looking at my teammate, who was frozen with fear.

Just as Kisame was about to bring his sword down on Naruto, a cloud of smoke appeared and I heard the sound of the sword connecting with something metal. An orange toad with blue markings on his body, wearing samurai armor was the one blocking the attack.

Jiraiya appeared behind Naruto, an unconscious woman slung over his shoulder.

"And that would be…" Choji asked, stating.

"Master Jiraiya." Shikamaru and I answered in unison.

So the old pervert showed up just in time to save us…hopefully.

* * *

Next time…

**Naruto**: Sasuke, look out!

**Kristin**: Naruto, stay out of it.

**Shikamaru**: This is Sasuke's fight, and his fight alone.

**Naruto**: Yeah, but he needs our help.

**Kristin**: *groans* Don't you get it? This is what he's been training for.

**Choji**: To finally avenge his clan.

**Kristin**: Next time: **Hate Among Clansman! **I just hope Sasuke will live through this.


	61. Hate Among Clansman

**Hate Among Clansman**

* * *

I closed my eyes and tried to bring Helena's seal to the surface, and hoped that would help. Kisame swung his sword at me and it barely nicked my shoulder, but it sent a sharp pain down my arm and I cried out. I cracked my eye open and saw three, small yet deep, scratch marks on my shoulder and blood ran down the length of my arm.

"What do you want with Naruto?" I asked.

"It's nothing you need to concern yourself with, Kristin dear." Itatchi answered, his eyes cold.

I winced in pain as Itatchi tightened his grip on my wrist. "It is my business, since he's my teammate." I spat, glaring at him.

"None of this concerns you." Itatchi repeated, yanking me closer to him, making me yelp. "Now I suggest you leave, before something really bad happens to you." he pulled me down and slammed his elbow on my forearm, and another stab of pain shot through my arm and I screamed out in pain.

"Kristin!" Naruto yelled.

"Naruto…" I grunted, holding my arm close to my chest. "…get out of here…now!" I ordered.

Itatchi gripped my by the cloth of my top and tossed me away. I rolled a few times and my head slammed against the wall. I could feel blood running down the side of my face, but my arm was in so much pain it was unbearable.

"You okay kid?" Urushi asked.

"No." I whimpered, clutching my arm, biting back tears.

"Kristin!" Shikamaru and Choji called.

I looked up and saw them run towards me, Guruko stood next to Urushi.

"What the hell?" Shikamaru asked, noticing the blood on my face. "What happened?"

I turned my head and motioned towards where Itatchi was. "We were too late, they beat us here."

"Why is Sasuke on the ground?" Choji asked.

"I think Itatchi snapped his wrist." I answered, sitting up but still holding my arm.

"Kris? You're arm…" Shikamaru stared to say.

"Is broken in two places." I finished, wincing in pain. "I know, it hurts like hell."

"You couldn't have waited till we arrived?" Shikamaru asked.

"I had to help out my teammates, Shikamaru." I snapped. "But now I can't even weave signs. At least, not without crying in pain." I leaned against the wall and breathed through the pain. I looked at the two ninja hounds. "You guys should probably go."

"See ya 'round kid." Urushi said, before he and Guruko disappeared in a puff of smoke.

I tried to move, but the pain in my arm was too much. I bit my lip and gasped, then whimpered.

"Take it easy." Shikamaru advised, supporting me.

"One of you needs to help Naruto." I said, looking at my teammate, who was frozen with fear.

Just as Kisame was about to bring his sword down on Naruto, a cloud of smoke appeared and I heard the sound of the sword connecting with something metal. An orange toad with blue markings on his body, wearing samurai armor was the one blocking the attack.

Jiraiya appeared behind Naruto, an unconscious woman slung over his shoulder.

"And that would be…" Choji asked, stating.

"Master Jiraiya." Shikamaru and I answered in unison.

So the old pervert showed up just in time to save us…hopefully.

* * *

"The great mountain toad sage falls for no woman's charm." Jiraiya spoke, striking a very weird pose. "When you reach the stature I have, the ladies worship at your awesomeness!"

"Please, one wink from a pretty girl and you turned into a mountain of mush!" Naruto rebuked. "You fell for it hook, line, and sinker, Pervy Sage!"

"I really wish you wouldn't call me that in front of other people." Jiraiya pleaded with Naruto, smiling.

"We have better things to worry about than what these guys think of you!" Naruto reminded.

"I can honestly say," Kisame cut in. "it doesn't really matter what name you go by, Master Jiraiya, you're a bit of a let down. It's hard to believe you are one of the Three Legendary Sanin."

I leaned against the wall and cracked a smile. "I agree with the talking fish." I muttered, holding my arm against my stomach.

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah, Jiraiya is nothing but an old pervert."

"Why would you guys say that?" Choji asked.

"Because he was peeping on me while I was training for the finals." I answered, shuddering. "I don't think I can wear that white bikini ever again."

I tried to move, but another wave of pain rushed through my arm and I gasped. _"Damn, my arm is basically shot. So much for my ninjutsu." _I thought.

* * *

I then faintly heard something that really struck me. Jiraiya knew that Itatchi and Kisame were after Naruto.

"That's right." Itatchi confirmed. "Naruto is indeed the prize that the Akatsuki are after."

"Why would they be after Naruto?" Choji asked, looking from my teammate to me.

"Kris, do you know something?" Shikamaru lightly squeezed my uninjured shoulder.

I couldn't answer. I wanted to, but I couldn't bring myself to.

The summoned toad disappeared and Jiraiya took a fighting stance. "No way are you getting Naruto." he threatened. "This is actually pretty convenient, I can take the both of you out at the same time."

"So he's actually gonna do something helpful?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Kristin, why are you sweating?" Choji asked me.

"Because she's loosing blood." Shikamaru answered.

I took a shaky breath and exhaled. "Cut off my right arm warmer, use that to stop the bleeding." I told them.

Shikamaru carefully cut my arm warmer off and Choji compressed it on my injured shoulder. As much as I hated to admit it, I was in so much pain I was on the brink of tears.

I kept my breathing as steady as I could, but when I saw Sasuke get back up, I gasped.

"Stay out of this." Sasuke said, rising to his feet. "If anyone is gonna kill him, it's gonna be me." Sasuke locked eyes with Itatchi.

"Go away." Itatchi said. "You don't interest me at the moment."

Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Well get interested!" he then swung his good arm towards Itatchi, who just kicked him in the stomach.

* * *

Shikamaru and Choji moved me out of the way, and the sudden change in my body position sparked another wave of pain in my arm.

"Sasuke!" Naruto and I called.

Naruto tried to run towards Sasuke, but he just yelled at him to stop.

"I already told you, I've lived for this day." Sasuke reminded, standing up, bracing himself against the wall. "This very moment, this fight is mine!"

Sasuke charged towards Itatchi once more. But it was no use, Itatchi got the upper hand and threw Sasuke back down the hallway.

I slowly stood up, with Shikamaru helping support me. "Sasuke." I breathed, fearful about his safety at this point.

Itatchi slowly approached Sasuke, and I could feel Shikamaru's grip on my waist tighten as he passed by us, almost as if he was gonna attack should Itatchi try something. I moved my good arm and gripped his shoulder, forcing him to look at me.

"Don't even try it." I begged. "Please, don't. He's way too strong for us to handle."

"I'm not gonna let him hurt you." Shikamaru promised.

"Remember who he is." I reminded. "He was made chief of ANBU at the age of thirteen." I added. "He's way stronger than us. You make a move, and you just might die." I tightened my grip on his shoulders. "And I can't loose you."

Shikamaru continued to support me and Itatchi just walked right past us. Shikamaru used my headband to secure the makeshift bandage on my shoulder. But the pain in my right arm was now at the bottom of my list of worries.

Sasuke's anger got the best of him and he charged at Itatchi once more. Itatchi wasn't even trying and he was still countering Sasuke's attacks, and dealing major ones of his own. Blood trickled from Sasuke's mouth and his body slowly fell to the ground. When I looked into his eyes, I saw the look of defeat, which is something I've never seen in Sasuke's eyes before.

I bit my lip and felt blood trickle down my chin. Everything inside of me was stirring and I wanted to charge at Itatchi and help out my teammate, and friend. But I knew, with one broken arm and little chakra, I would surely be charging to my death.

Itatchi gripped Sasuke's neck and pinned him to the wall, and I heard a loud grunt come from my friend.

"What's he gonna do guys?" Choji asked, gulping.

"Who knows, but I can say it's nothing good." Shikamaru answered, his grip supporting me tightened, pulling me closer.

"You're still too weak. You don't have enough hate." Itatchi said, gripping Sasuke tighter. "And you know something…" he leaned in closer and whispered something in Sasuke's ear, that, to me sounded like, "you never will."

Itatchi looked into Sasuke's eyes and they went as wide as they could get. A second later Sasuke was screaming in agony, and the next second, his body slumped to the ground.

* * *

My rage had peaked and I could feel the heat of the seal slowly forming over my body. "That's it." I growled, breathing heavily.

"Kristin?" Choji questioned, his voice trembling.

"Choji, when I tell you to, you're gonna grab Sasuke." I told him. "We're gonna get him out of here."

"Kristin, what's going on?" Shikamaru asked. His grip on me released when the first stage of the transformation completed.

I could feel the marks melding together, moving into the second stage of my transformation. My eyes were opened enough to see the color of my bangs change from pink to purple and I grinned, feeling my canine teeth elongate.

"Now for the finale stage." I muttered, dropping to the ground and feeling my skeletal system shift from human to canine once again.

I slowly rose and the portion of hair that was draped over my right eye changed to pink and I shook my body and stood firm. "Now." I whispered to my two friends.

* * *

In a flash I was in front of Sasuke, staring down Itatchi, who seemed just a little taken back by my transformation.

"Choji, get Sasuke." I ordered. "Then climb on."

"So, you've unlocked that power inside you." Itatchi noted. "Interesting."

I growled. "Then you'll think this is pretty cool." I closed my eyes and focused, feeling the sensation of my eyes getting sharper. When I opened them, I grinned. I built up a large amount of chakra in my throat and hit Itatchi with the 'Fire Style: Fireball'.

"Water Style: Water Shark Bomb!" Kisame growled.

A giant shark wave countered my fireball attack and I growled in frustration. Shikamaru and Choji jumped onto my back and I adjusted to the extra weight.

"What's the plan here?" Shikamaru asked.

"I'm kinda making it up as I go." I admitted, taking a few steps backwards, focusing chakra to my paws.

I bolted forward and ran right past Itatchi, who didn't even try to attack me.

"Kisame." I heard Itatchi say. "Strike her lower, right thigh." he ordered.

"What?" I gasped. _"How could he know?" _I looked ahead and saw Kisame grip his sword and I knew I had to act fast. "Hang on guys." I warned, and I felt their grip on my fur tighten.

I sent another burst of chakra to my paws and I sideswiped, running on the wall and I jumped over Kisame. When I saw him about to swing his sword, I moved in mid air to try and avoid a fatal hit.

His sword hit on the lower part of my thigh and I let out a loud yelp as my body crashed to ground, and my chakra drained, reverting me back to my human state. I gripped my right arm because it was now in screaming pain. I saw a shadow looming over me and when I rolled onto my back, I saw it was Kisame, a grin across his face.

I griped my leg and saw four scratches on my leg, blood running down the length of it. My chakra was completely drained and I barely had the strength to move. Before Kisame could swing his blade down on me, Choji used his own jutsu to bring Shikamaru and me out of the sword's reach.

"Thanks Choji." Shikamaru said, his arms bracing me.

"Yeah." I agreed. "How's Sasuke?" I looked over my shoulder and saw my teammate, and friend, unconscious by Choji.

* * *

I felt something squishy form underneath me and soon, the entire hallway was covered in it.

"What the hell?" Shikamaru muttered.

We saw Jiraiya in the kneeling position, his hands on the floor and realized he must've cast the jutsu. "Ninja Art. Toad Mouth Trap." he informed. "Welcome everyone, to the belly of the beast."

"This is one of the weirdest jutsus I've ever seen." Choji said, looking around.

"Stay still you guys, and trust in my jutsu." Jiraiya said.

We stayed still, it was easy for me since I couldn't move my left leg or my right arm.

"Kisame, come." Itatchi ordered, running down another hallway.

"Easier said than done." Kisame grunted, pulling his sword free from the squishy flesh on the floor.

The two ninja ran out of our sights, and shortly after an explosion occurred.

"What the hell was that?" Naruto asked.

* * *

Jiraiya took off running after Kisame and Itatchi, with the rest of us following after. What we found was a giant hole in the wall, black flames on the edge of it.

"_What sort of Fire Style move is that?"_ I wondered.

"_I don't think that's a fire jutsu honey." _Helena rebuked.

I leaned into the wall for support, until I felt arms on my shoulders, helping me stand.

"What is that?" Choji asked, gaping at the hole in the wall.

"Did Itatchi do that?" Shikamaru wondered.

I shook my head. "I have no idea." I replied.

Jiraiya wrote some kind of formula on a scroll and sealed away the black flames. Then he released jutsu he cast.

"Is Sasuke alright?" Naruto asked, running to us.

"He's unconscious, but I'm sure he'll be fine." Choji answered.

I braced myself against the wall and slowly slid down. "We should take him back to the village and let the Medical Corp. look at him."

"You too." Shikamaru cut in. "If you think we're gonna let these injuries slide, you're crazy."

"I'm fine Shikamaru." I rebuked, wincing as I moved my left leg.

"Uh huh." Shikamaru said, lightly touching my right forearm. I winced. "Thought so. You're not fine, you're just pretending to be. I can tell how drained you are."

I sighed. I leaned into his chest and looked up at him. "You were scared when I transformed, weren't you?" I asked.

He didn't answer right away. Shikamaru took Choji's scarf and formed a sling for me to rest my right arm in. "I was a little freaked out." he admitted, slowly sliding my arm in the makeshift sling. "But I reminded myself that it was still you."

I smiled. "I had to do something, I couldn't just stand there." I defended.

Shikamaru patted my uninjured shoulder. "We know, you don't have to defend yourself."

"Just don't freak us out like that, going all 'death wolf' on us." Choji chuckled.

I pulled a roll of spare bandages from my pouch and handed them to Shikamaru, who worked on bandaging up my injured leg.

"So we'll take you back to the village hospital and the Medical Corp. will take a look at you both." Choji voted.

"All I know is, I'm not looking forward to explaining this to Sakura." I sighed, leaning against the wall.

"We'll be there to back ya up. No worries." Shikamaru reassured.

* * *

Suddenly a kunai knife flew right past us and embedded itself in the wall. We turned in the direction it came from and saw Guy-sensei leap through the air and kick Jiraiya square in the face.

"Okay that was a simple minded move you jackass!" Jiraiya berated.

"I'm sorry." Guy apologized.

"None of that matters." I cut in. "We need to get Sasuke to the hospital. He's in really bad shape."

"He's gonna be okay though, right Pervy Sage?" Naruto asked.

"Physically he should be." Jiraiya answered. "I'm more worried about his mental state."

"You mean that genjutsu Itatchi used?" I asked.

"Yeah." Jiraiya replied.

I looked at my friend and hoped to the High Powers that he would be okay. I sighed and leaned into Shikamaru's chest, my head resting on his shoulders.

"We should probably get going if we want to make it back by sundown." Shikamaru voted.

"I agree." Choji said.

Shikamaru carefully lifted me in his arms, cradling my body. My left arm was wrapped securely around his neck while my right arm was laying over my chest.

"I'm more tired than I thought." I muttered.

"That's your adrenaline wearing off." Shikamaru told me, kissing my forehead.

I saw Naruto clench his hand into a fist. "What did Sasuke ever do to deserve this?" he asked, gritting his teeth. "New plan, Pervy Sage! If it's me they're after, then let's give them what they want."

"Nice speech, but you wouldn't stand a chance against those two cloaked freaks." Shikamaru spoke. "You're way out of their league."

"Oh yeah?" Naruto challenged. "And you think you can take them on?"

"No way in hell am I getting involved." Shikamaru rebuked. "Because it would take all of us years to match their skill level."

Naruto clenched his fist tighter and glared. I cleared my throat and spoke up. "Think about it Naruto, if Master Jiraiya hadn't shown up when he did, we all would be dead." I pointed out. "And that's the truth, no matter how strong you think you are, Itatchi is way more dangerous."

"What makes you so sure?" Naruto asked, looking down at me.

"Oh let's see, because he murdered every single member of the Uchiha clan in one single night." I snapped, making Naruto gasp. "Yeah, that's right. An entire clan, slaughtered, in one night."

"So you haven't earned the right to say anything against them." Jiraiya cut in. "Your friends are right, you are way out of their league. It took all I had to get them away from you."

As much as it hurt his pride, Naruto didn't reply to Jiraiya's statement.

"I'm sorry Guy, I wanted to let Sasuke fight his own fight." Jiraiya apologized. "I see now I should've intervened sooner."

"This looks like the same jutsu that Kakashi was hit with." Guy said. "The doctors don't know when he'll come out of it."

I buried my face in the nape of Shikamaru's neck and bit back a few tears. Shikamaru caressed my shoulder lightly and kissed my forehead. "It's all gonna be okay, you'll see." he reassured.

"What we need is a supreme medical specialist." Guy added. "A master of the healing arts, and soon."

"Exactly." Jiraiya agreed. "And the woman you're referring to is exactly who we've come to find."

"The woman?" Guy repeated. "You don't mean?"

Jiraiya smiled. "Yes; another one of the Legendary Sanin. The Queen of Slugs and Elixirs. The Gambling Fool and Mistress of the Healing Arts, Lady Tsunade."

* * *

"Alright Guy, we're gonna leave them in your hands." Jiraiya said, once all of us were out of the Inn. "You take these young Shinobi home and get them taken care of."

Guy looked at me and my three guy friends and smiled. "You can count on me Master Jiraiya." he gave a thumbs up. After a minute or two he calmed down and added, "Find Lady Tsunade and bring her back."

"Don't worry, she'll be back in the village in no time at all!" Naruto cut in, his eyes full of determination.

I rolled my eyes and smiled. _"Guess that part of him will never change." _I thought.

Guy-sensei smiled. "Naruto, you got guts kid. Here, Lee got stronger with this and I want you to have one too." Guy reached into his jacket and pulled out a green suit just like the one he and Lee wear.

I gaped and shook my head. "If he ever wears that, I'll kill him." I muttered.

"Who in their right, sane mind, would wear that thing?" Shikamaru asked.

"Rock Lee remember." Choji answered, shifting his arms so Sasuke wouldn't fall off his back.

"Right." Shikamaru replied.

"It's breathable, retains moisture, and offers complete movement all in one sweet package." Guy advertised. "If you wear this while you train, you'll notice the difference immediately."

Naruto took the suit and smiled. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"C'mon kids, let's get back to the village." Guy-sensei instructed.

I waved goodbye to Naruto and laid my head on Shikamaru's shoulder.

"Hey Shikamaru? Can you do me one favor?" I asked.

"Sure, anything." he answered.

"Wake me when we get back to the village." I replied, my eyes slowly closing.

I felt him plant a kiss on my forehead and I was out.

* * *

Next time…

**Kristin**: It's been almost a month since we left Naruto and Jiraiya to find that Tsunade woman. I wonder if they've found her yet. I'm really worried about my dad and Sasuke, both of them are still unconscious and haven't really changed at all.

**Sakura**: I know, I'm really worried about them too. I hope this Lady Tsunade or whatever can help Sasuke, and Kakashi-sensei.

**Kristin**: Well, she's bound to be somewhat good if she's part of the Sanin. I just hope her healing power will be enough. Next time: **The Will of Fire Still Burns**.


	62. The Will Of Fire Still Burns

**The Will of Fire Still Burns**

* * *

It's been almost a month since Naruto and Jiraiya went off in search of Tsunade, one of the other renowned Sanin. According to Jiraiya she was an expert in healing and medicine, and could help my dad and Sasuke, who were both attacked by Itatchi's genjutsu.

For the past week or so, Sakura has been staying with me while I've been getting my body back in fighting shape. It took a lot longer than I thought for my arm and leg to heal, but now that they are, I was ready to get back to training. But, training had to take a backseat since Kovu and I both had to take care of Kallera, who was worrying way too much about dad being comatose in the hospital.

"Well I'm ready to go whenever you are Kris." Sakura told me, handing me the stacked plates from breakfast.

"Well, as soon as I get the dishes loaded and started, we can head that way." I replied, setting the plates in the dishwasher. I closed it up and started it.

"We'll see you guys later." Sakura said, waving to my brother and sister.

"Be back in a while." I added, shutting the door behind us.

* * *

Sakura and I made our way to the Yamanaka Flower Shop first to pick up some fresh flowers for Sasuke and my dad.

"Morning Ino." Sakura greeted as we walked in.

"Hey you two, on your way to the hospital again today?" Ino asked, leaning against the counter.

"Yes, someone has to visit them." Sakura answered, picking two cut daffodils and paying for them.

I picked two yellow tulips and two white daffodils and paid for them.

"I hope they get well soon." Ino said, wrapping up the flowers I bought.

"Thanks Ino." I replied, smiling. "I'll see ya."

"Have a good day now." Ino called as we walked out.

* * *

"Sometimes she can be so nosey." Sakura said as we walked to the hospital.

"She was just being friendly, I think." I replied, keeping in step with her. "I really wouldn't know since we don't talk much."

Sakura sighed. "I just hope Naruto get's here soon with that specialist you told me about."

I nodded. "I'm sure it'll be any day now." I reassured. "You'll see my dad and Sasuke will be back to normal in no time at all." I put on a reassuring smile and Sakura returned it.

The truth was I felt the same way she did. I was worried about both of them, and part of me was wondering just how good this Tsunade woman was. But, if she held the title of Sanin, she must be pretty damn impressive.

Sakura and I signed the guest registry and made our way down the hallways, she entered Sasuke's room and sat by his bedside. I peeked in just to see him, then made my way to where my dad was.

* * *

I set the new flowers in a vase and pulled up and chair next to his bed. His body lay perfectly still underneath the blankets. His arms were on top of the blankets at his sides and his breathing was steady. As steady as any comatose person anyway.

I took my dad's hand in both of mine and squeezed them, gently. "I'm here dad, same as always." I said, caressing the top of his hand.

I laid my head down on the bed and sighed, looking out the window and seeing birds fly by. Soon, my eyelids felt heavy and I slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

About an hour later, give or take, I heard the door open and I lifted my head. "Hello?" I questioned.

"Figured I'd find you here." Shikamaru replied, turning the corner and looking at me.

"Well of course, where else would I be?" I asked, rubbing my eyes and stretching my arms.

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe with Sasuke?"

I rolled my eyes. "And listen to Sakura's lament, I'll pass." I joked. "Besides, family always comes first to me." I reminded, looking down at my father. "It's times like this where's he's my father first, and sensei second."

"I get ya." Shikamaru said, placing his hands on my shoulders. He then draped something soft and warm over them, and I realized it was a dark brown blanket. "My mom made that for you."

I took the corners and pulled the blanket around me. "That was nice of her." I said, as Shikamaru sat on the edge of my dad's bed. "Tell her thanks for me?"

He nodded, "Yeah, sure."

I smiled. "So, what are you doing out anyway?" I asked.

"Well, my dad asked me to help him with some stuff so it was either get out and help or face the wrath of my mother. I chose the former, less likely to get hurt that way." Shikamaru answered, sighing heavily.

I chuckled. "Oh, she's not that bad." I reminded, smiling.

"You don't live with her twenty-four seven." he rebuked.

I lightly punched his arm. "No, but she was very nice to me when I stayed with for that month before the Chūnin Exam Finals." I reminded him.

Shikamaru chuckled. "It was all an act, fair warning."

I rolled my eyes. "What is it with you?" I asked, shaking my head. "You always talk about how women are all of these things that annoy you; she's too spunky, too demanding, too bossy, etcetera." I waved my hands for more emphasis.

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders. "That's just the kind of guy I am. You should know this by now." I lightly nudge me.

I giggled. "Still, it gets real old Shikamaru." I said. "You really should try to be a bit more open about things. I'm a girl and you tolerate me just fine."

"Yeah, because there's just something about you that's…different." Shikamaru replied. "Sure, you're spunky, but not too spunky. You're not demanding, at all. You don't claim to know everything, and you're far from bossy." he listed. "You're probably the only girl I find tolerable."

I raised an eyebrow, "That was a compliment?" I questioned.

Shikamaru nodded. "Yes." he jumped off the bed and stood next to me. "Now I better get going, otherwise my dad's gonna come in here."

"See ya later." I said, smiling.

"Later." Shikamaru replied, kissing my forehead like he always does.

I watched as he left and sighed. I leaned back in the chair and wrapped the blanket around me, listening to the sounds of nature just outside the window. I looked and saw a male and female bird fly off over the village together and smiled.

* * *

A few hours later I felt some one shaking my shoulders. "Kristin, wake up!" Naruto yelled. "Wake up!"

I slapped him in the face. "For Hokage's sake Naruto, you're in a hospital." I snapped. "Take it down a few decibels, will ya?" I rubbed my eyes and yawned.

"That woman that Pervy Sage and I went to find is here, she's gonna heal Sasuke right now." Naruto told me.

I nodded. "Okay, I'm coming." I said, wrapping the blanket around me and following Naruto. I left Kovu and Kallera in the room with dad.

* * *

When I walked out of the room, I bumped into someone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." I apologized.

"No, I'm sorry, I wasn't looking." she replied.

I looked up and saw an older woman, probably in her thirties who had long, white hair tied in two braids that hung over shoulders, and brown eyes. She wore a teal lined mesh shirt underneath a sky-blue kimono with black trim and a black sash.

"Who are you?" I asked.

She smiled, "I'm Diana." she introduced, holding out her hand.

"Kristin." I replied, shaking her hand.

A medium-sized, black feline peeked out from beside Diana's leg. "And I am Negro." he introduced, bowing his head.

Diana chuckled. "He's one of my summon panthers." she clarified. "He likes to stay out on occasions."

I nodded. "Well It's nice to meet you, Negro." I replied, petting his head.

"C'mon Diana." called a woman who looked the same age as Diana.

"Coming Shizune." Diana replied.

As we walked down the hallway, Diana looked at the blanket I had wrapped around me. "So, are you from the Nara clan as well?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No." I answered. "One of my best friends is, and his mom made this for me."

Diana nodded. "A friend huh?"

"Yeah, just a friend." I repeated.

Diana shrugged her shoulders and we entered the room where Sasuke was. Standing near the head of Sasuke's bed was an older woman with blonde hair pulled into pigtails, brown eyes, wearing a grey kimono dress with blue pants, and a green haori.

"Is that her Naruto?" I whispered.

Naruto nodded. "Yep, that's Grandma Tsunade." he answered. "Sasuke's gonna be all better now, you'll see."

Diana tapped my shoulders. "Don't worry, my mother is one of the best Medical Ninjas around the Five Great Nations." she said.

Green chakra covered Tsunade's had as she touched Sasuke's forehead. About a minute later, Sasuke's eyes opened and he sat up, looking at the three of us, his teammates.

"Welcome back Sasuke." I smiled.

"Hey, Sasuke." Naruto followed.

Tears welled in Sakura's eyes as she threw her arms around Sasuke's neck, crying. "Oh Sasuke."

I cracked a smile and turned towards the door. Naruto followed me.

"You're not done yet grandma." he chided, making the motion for Tsunade to follow us.

* * *

We re-entered my dad's room.

"So, he's your sensei correct?" Tsunade asked.

"Yeah, that's right." Naruto answered.

"Well, he's more than that to me." I added, stepping around and sitting on the bed. "He's also my dad."

"So this is the hot-shot medical ninja that you went off to find?" Kovu asked, looking at Tsunade.

"Yep, she just healed Sasuke like it was nothing." Naruto chuckled.

"Diana, why don't you take this one." Tsunade said, looking at Diana.

"Sure, I guess." Diana chuckled. She stood next to my dad and her hand was enveloped in a crystal-blue chakra. She placed her palm over my dad's forehead and closed her eyes.

Dad's eyes fluttered open and he looked around.

"Dad?" Kovu questioned, leaning forward.

My dad slowly sat up and rubbed his temples. "What happened to me?" he muttered.

"Daddy." I cried, throwing my arms around his neck. "Oh, dad I was so worried."

"Me too." Kallera cried, laying her head on dad's shoulder.

Dad's arms wrapped around the two of us and he chuckled. "Now I remember." he said. "I guess I got a little carried away."

"You can say that again." Kallera scolded.

I wiped the tears from my eyes. "Just don't ever scare us like that again."

"Deal." he promised. He looked at the three of us and leaned back, sighing.

"Alright, that's Kakashi-sensei down, now one more!" Naruto laughed.

"Rock Lee!" Guy called, scaring all of us. "He's right next door! Next door!"

"Hello Guy, I didn't see you there." Diana giggled, smiling.

"Oh, Diana, you're here." Guy seemed shocked.

"Yeah, I'm back home." Diana replied, smiling.

Naruto and Guy-sensei led Diana, Tsunade, and Shizune out of my dad's room. And, to me, it looked like Guy and Diana have met before.

* * *

A few hours later my dad was released from the hospital and my siblings and I helped him home.

"Don't worry dad, you'll be back to normal soon." Kovu encouraged as we, slowly, made our way home.

"So, Kristin you ran into Itatchi as well?" Dad asked, looking down at me.

I chuckled. "Yeah, well technically Sasuke went looking for Itatchi and myself, Shikamaru, and Choji followed him so we could have his back." I corrected. "But hey, we're all alive, doesn't that count for anything?" I asked.

"Still, that was a bit reckless of you four, but I understand where you're coming from." dad said.

"So Sasuke and I got a little beat up, nobody's perfect." I shrugged my shoulders and folded my arms across my chest.

Kallera scoffed. "You were unconscious in Shikamaru's arms when he brought you to the hospital." she reminded.

"That was because I had no chakra and lost some blood." I defended. "I repeat, nobody's perfect."

"As long as you won't do something that reckless again, I forgive you." dad looked down at me.

I nodded. "Deal." I promised.

* * *

A few days later was the day that Lady Tsunade was officially named the Fifth Hokage. The entire village crowded around the Hokage palace as Tsunade stood tall, wearing the traditional hat of the Hokage. Up with her were the two advisors, Homura and Koharu, Diana, and Jiraiya.

"I think she'll make a great Hokage." Choji muttered, looking up at her.

I nodded. "Yeah, I agree with ya there." I folded my arms over my chest and smiled.

"It's defiantly gonna be different from here on out." Shikamaru sighed.

I elbowed him in ribs to keep him quiet. Lady Tsunade was about to give her speech.

She took off the ceremonial hat and held it in front of her. "From this day on I promise to protect the Hidden Leaf Village, as the Fifth Hokage!"

The crowd erupted into cheers of excitement. I had a feeling that things were gonna be different, but it was a good feeling. I couldn't help but smile.

* * *

Next time…

**Kovu**: You're teammates are not that bright sometimes, are they?

**Kristin**: Nope, not at all.

**Naruto**: Don't you guys wanna know what he's hiding under there?

**Sakura**: Keep your cool and wait until our next mission.

**Naruto**: That's right, this next mission is an overnighter.

**Sakura**: And that's when…

**Naruto **and **Sakura**: The mask comes off.

**Kovu**: This is gonna be good.

**Kristin**: Next time: **Gotta See, Gotta Know! Kakashi-sensei's True Face!**

**Kallera**: Looks like we're gonna have a little bit of fun *giggles* {horse whinnies in the background}


	63. Kakashi-sense's True Face

**Gotta See! Gotta Know! Kakashi-Sensei's True Face! **

**A/N: **So this chapter is based on the omake episode of the same title. This is one of my favorite episodes from Part1, and I added in a few extra things as well. The idea for the character named 'Snickers' belongs to my sister, witchprincess33. Hope you all enjoy^^

* * *

"Ahoo! Ahoo!" a crow cawed as it flew over the village.

"Hey, you wanna see it, don't ya?" Naruto asked us. "I think it's about time."

"Time for what?" Sasuke asked, his arms folded over his chest.

"You know what I mean." Naruto chuckled darkly. "Kakashi-sensei's real face." he held a flashlight in front of his face, trying to spook Sakura and myself.

Sakura screamed and I punched Naruto in the head. "What the hell is the matter with you?" I yelled.

"That sounds like a waste of time." Sasuke sighed, turning away. "We finished today's mission, I'm so out of here."

"Yeah, you're right Sasuke." Sakura giggled.

I rolled my eyes and leaned against the wooden fence. Kovu sat on the top and exchanged glances with me.

"What if he has lips, like a blimp?" Naruto whispered, making Sasuke freeze in his tracks. "Or maybe buck teeth?" Naruto chuckled as Sasuke shivered at a disturbing image he probably thought of.

Kovu and I snickered.

"Okay you two, spill it!" Sakura snapped, turning to Kovu and me. "When does Kakashi-sensei remove his mask?"

Kovu looked down at me. "Sis, should we tell them?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders.

"I don't know." I answered, smiling. "Maybe it is time they know."

"Spill it already!" Naruto begged.

"Alright then." Kovu sighed. "He always removes his mask before we eat."

I jumped up on the wooden fence and stood next to my brother. "So, you three head to Ichiraku and we'll meet ya there, see ya!" I said, before running off towards home with my brother beside me.

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kovu asked.

I smiled. "Not for those three, but it's gonna be entertainment for us." I giggled, bumping his fist.

I barged through the front door and found dad sitting on the couch, reading. "Dad, let's go have a team lunch at Ichiraku." I begged, standing in front of him. "Since we did so good on the mission and all."

"Are you serious?" Dad asked, peeking over his book to look at me.

I nodded. "Please daddy?" I pleaded.

Dad sighed. "Alright, I suppose we could."

"Yes." Kovu whispered.

He and I fist bumped on our way out the door.

* * *

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were already waiting for us at Ichiraku. Dad, Kovu, and I, took our seats at the bar.

"Well this is a bit unexpected." dad said. "You kids actually treating me to lunch? I wouldn't be surprised if it snowed on me." Dad looked up, and sure enough, a pile of snow fell on him and his bowl of ramen.

"He fell for it!" Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke cheered. Kovu and I held up our index fingers and smiled.

Strike one.

* * *

"You know?" Dad questioned, spooking my three teammates.

Kovu and I exchanged a look and smiled.

"You kids treating me to lunch? I wouldn't be surprised if it snowed on me…" dad repeated, looking up. "today."

He reached for his chopsticks when his ramen suddenly exploded.

"He fell for it!" Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke cheered. Kovu and I held up our index and middle fingers and smiled.

Strike two.

* * *

"Is that the idea?" dad questioned. "You kids treating me to lunch? You're not gonna drop a big pile of snow on me or something like that?" he was cautious enough, but then Teuchi used a spring loaded, boxing glove and punched my dad out of the shop and into the fence a few feet away.

"He fell for it!" Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke cheered. Kovu and I held up our first three fingers and smiled.

Strike three.

* * *

"Come on, you kids are up to something." Dad accused looking from Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, to me and Kovu.

"Nope, we're not up to anything dad." Kovu defended.

I stirred my water with my straw. "Just out with the team is all. Isn't this good for morale or something?" I questioned, sipping my water.

"Kakashi-sensei, go on and eat, you just got out of the hospital." Sakura reminded, chuckling.

"Alright, I suppose I should just dig in." Dad broke apart his chopsticks and slowly pulled his mask down to eat.

"Sasuke! What a coincidence, I didn't expect to see you here!" Ino chuckled, her and her team barging in suddenly.

Naruto and Sakura gasped. "Get out of the way Ino pig!" Sakura yelled.

"Oh man, I can't see squat!" Naruto complained.

"That was delicious." dad sighed, pushing his empty bowl away from him.

"Okay, now I'm curious." my three teammates said in unison.

Kovu and I bumped both our fists together and smiled. Day one, complete.

* * *

"Ahoo! Ahoo!" a crow cawed as it flew overhead.

"Okay, nothing's gonna stop me from seeing that face!" Naruto stated.

"Yeah, but how? He's just so cleaver." Sakura sighed.

"Don't worry, we'll see it one way or another." Naruto chuckled, darkly.

"I'm asking you how you stupid, little troll!" Sakura growled.

"Okay, smarty pants, how do you suppose we do it?" Naruto asked, rubbing his head.

"We'll just have to tail him around all day, he'll take the mask off eventually." Sasuke sighed, walking away.

"So where is he right now?" Naruto asked me.

"It's his turn to do the grocery shopping." I stated.

"So let's head to the market and go from there." Kovu added.

"Let's go morons…I mean, guys." I chuckled and walked next to my brother, just a little ahead of my teammates.

"Commencing day two." Kovu whispered.

I chuckled, "Let's do this." I slapped his high-five.

* * *

Dad carried a sack full of groceries as he walked down the village street. My brother and my team were tailing him, keeping our distance as best we could, and keeping our voices low.

Dad passed a bookstore on his way home and practically glued himself to the front window.

"What in the world is he doing?" Naruto asked.

"It's so disappointing." Sakura sighed.

Dad turned around and we all ducked, hiding behind some kind of billboard.

"Shit, he's onto us." Sasuke whispered.

"Naruto, you idiot, you blew our cover." Sakura berated.

"Why is it automatically my fault?" Naruto asked.

"My favorite book is going to be a movie?" Dad gasped, running down the street. "I better order tickets in advance."

"He's on the move guys." Kovu noted.

"Hurry, before we loose him." I added.

My three teammates went on ahead with Kovu and me following them. We turned the corner and saw Kakashi-sensei had vanished.

"Do you kids need me for something?" dad asked, appearing behind our little group.

"Uh, no, not really." my three teammates answered, shaking their heads.

Kovu and I slapped a low-five and chuckled. Day two: complete.

* * *

"How did he figure out we were tailing him yesterday, huh?" Naruto asked.

"Maybe there were just too many of us." Sakura answered.

"Oh please, if you know how to hide, it doesn't matter how many people there are." Naruto huffed. "Don't tell me you've forgotten all of your jutsu now." he said, darkly.

"You're the one who forgets, you little freak!" I berated, punching him in the head.

"We should shadow him, but this time let's do it solo." Sasuke suggested.

"Yeah, you and I do make a good pair Sasuke." Sakura giggled.

"Oh please." Naruto gagged.

Kovu and I just rolled our eyes and smiled.

* * *

Naruto was first up to shadow Kakashi-sensei, so while he was doing it, Kovu, Sakura, Sasuke, and I were having tea at the village teahouse. Sasuke and Sakura sat on the bench while Kovu and I leaned against the tree.

An hour later, Naruto met us and he scratched the back of his head. "He, got away." he chuckled.

"Just as clumsy as ever." Sakura berated.

"Why are you such a loser?" Sasuke questioned.

Naruto sulked.

"Strike one." Kovu muttered.

He and I clinked our tea glasses.

* * *

Sakura shadowed dad the next day while Naruto and Sasuke waited with Kovu and I at the teahouse. It started raining early in the morning and continued all day.

Sakura showed up around noon and giggled. "Yeah, I lost him too."

Kovu and I clinked our glasses.

"Strike two." I giggled, sipping my tea.

* * *

Sasuke had the next day, and showed up at the teahouse only an hour after starting to shadow dad.

"I got tired of shadowing him." Sasuke said. "He's so boring."

The three of them sulked.

"Strike three." Kovu and I toasted, chuckling.

* * *

We all met by the village gate, ready for our next mission. To get more experience, Kovu tagged along with the rest of squad seven.

"What's with you guys today?" dad asked my three other teammates. "You seem ready for anything."

"Oh we're ready alright!" Sakura and Naruto said in unison. Sasuke just nodded his head.

"So, do you think they'll keep trying?" Kovu asked me.

I nodded. "Oh yeah, they're not gonna stop until they see under that mask." I answered.

"Okay, how about a wager then." Kovu suggested. "I wager that by the mission's end, they're gonna give up on trying to see under dad's mask."

I nodded. "And I say they'll still try, even after the mission." I added. "So if you win and they give up, I do your chores for a month. I win, you do my chores for a month, deal?"

"You've got yourself a deal." Kovu shook my hand and we smiled.

"What deal you two?" dad asked us.

"Oh nothing." Kovu said, walking on.

"Just a friendly wager between siblings daddy." I giggled.

"Whatever kids." dad sighed, placing his hands in his pockets.

* * *

As the day drew on we stopped at an Inn for an overnight stay. The Innkeeper, Okami, set up a lavish dinner for us.

"Wow, that looks good." Naruto giggled, drooling.

"Lavish, very lavish." Dad noted.

We all sat around the table and filled our plates.

"You kids alright?" Dad asked us, looking around the table.

"Oh, don't wait on us, Kakashi-sensei, you go on and eat." Sakura encouraged.

"Actually, I'm kinda on a diet right now." Dad chuckled.

Kovu and I exchanged glances and chuckled, smiling at each other.

Naruto reached for the teapot and, non-discreetly, threw it at dad. "Oh, no, my hand slipped." he lied.

In an instant, dad flipped the table to shield himself, spilling all the food and dishes on the floor.

"What the hell was that all about?" Sakura yelled.

"Sorry about that, my hand just slipped." Dad defended, rubbing the back of his head.

"What do you mean you're hand slipped!?" yelled my three teammates.

"Smooth move on dad's part." Kovu whispered.

I nodded. "Nice save too." we slapped a high-five.

* * *

Sasuke's idea was a bit better, and I think it had a shot of working, if dad wasn't so cleaver.

"Oh, I wanna see too." Sakura whined as we relaxed in the hot springs. "But with these hot springs I'm outta the loop."

I leaned against a rock and splashed the warm water on my chest.

"C'mon Kris, tell me what it looks like under that mask." Sakura begged, swimming over to me.

I smiled to myself. "Well, I have a feeling you wouldn't believe me even if I did tell you." I said, sliding into the water. "Besides, it's you three who are dying to see it."

Sakura gurgled under the water and sighed.

"What's the hold up Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto called from the other side of the hot springs.

"Alright, I'm coming." dad replied, and I heard the door open.

"I've got to see this." Sakura muttered, swimming over to the wall and trying to peek inside.

I rolled my eyes and completely submerged myself in the warm water, feeling the calmness wash over me.

I faintly heard another splash from next door, followed by Sasuke's and Naruto's voices. I couldn't help but smile at their efforts. I reemerged from the water and took a breath.

"Nothing." Sakura sighed.

"Well, I'm getting out." I informed, stepping out of the pool and wrapping my towel around me. "See ya in the room."

I slipped into my nightgown and laid flat on my back. _"Who knows what they're gonna try tomorrow." _I thought, turning on my side, and falling fast asleep.

* * *

"Ahoo! Ahoo!" cawed a crow flying overhead.

The looks of my three teammates looked like they were about shot. As opposed to my dad, my brother, and myself, who were as fresh as three daisies.

"Thank you for you hospitality." Kovu and I said, bowing respectively.

"Safe journey to you." called our hostess as we left.

"I bet they're gonna give up any minute now." Kovu whispered to me.

I shook my head. "My team never gives up, believe me." I disagreed. "So, be prepared to do my chores for one month, starting when we get back home." I flipped my ponytail back and walked ahead, a smile across my face.

* * *

We arrived at the farm and were each given assignments. Kovu and I were in charge of painting the fence around the corral. As we got to doing that, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura huddled up a few feet away, probably discussing another plan to get dad to take off his mask.

About ten minutes later, my trio of teammates showed up dressed in different shinobi attire approached dad, myself, and Kovu.

"What the hell are they doing?" Kovu whispered to me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Told ya they won't give up." I snickered, leaning against the dry fence.

Kovu rolled his eyes, "This oughta be good." he sighed.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, three others jumped out of a barrel, wearing the same uniforms my teammates were wearing.

"It's time you pay for your transgressions, Kakashi Hatake." said the leader.

In a split second, dad hog tied my three teammates and chuckled. "I was wondering when you three would show up." he informed. He set my teammates down. "But first thing's first, Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, why are you three dressed like that?"

Naruto was stuttering, before Sakura came to his rescue.

"You fools! You fell right into our trap!" she accused. "We knew all along you were targeting Kakashi-sensei."

Kovu and I looked over at each other and snickered.

"Shit, we underestimated them because they were kids!" screamed another of the weird ninja.

"Okay, I may not have an idea what's going on here, but if you three want a repeat incident, be my guest." Dad said, walking closer to the triad of weird ninja. "Kovu, Kristin. Wanna help me out?"

My brother and I set the paintbrushes down and smiled. "Sure thing dad." we said in unison.

"Now, now, take it easy." the lead ninja begged. "Be gentle."

It took a couple swings and they were beaten down. Dad tied them up like an oversized yo-yo.

"It's just like three years all over again." whined the lead ninja.

"By the way, who are you guys again?" Dad asked.

"And he doesn't even remember us." the three ninja whined.

Kovu and I brushed off our clothes and chuckled.

"Well, that was fun." I said, chuckling.

"Yeah." Kovu agreed.

* * *

By sundown we were done on the farm and headed home.

"So the mission's over." Kovu said.

"No, it's not over until we're back home." I reminded him.

"I still say they're gonna give up." Kovu wagered, running his fingers through his hair.

I shook my head. "Then you don't know my team." I rebuked.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked. "What are you hiding under that mask?"

"What? You wanna know what's behind my mask?" Dad questioned, putting his book down.

"Yeah." Naruto answered.

Dad put his book away. "Well why didn't you just ask? Okay, I'll show you." my three teammates crowded in front of him. Dad reached to pull his mask off, "Behind this mask…"

"Is another mask! Pretty cool right?" Kovu and I said in unison, pointing to dad's lighter mask. The both of us flashed an all-teeth smile.

My three teammates fell to ground, stunned.

"What the hell kind of ending is that?" Naruto yelled.

* * *

Then, out of nowhere, Kallera jumped down from a tree branch. "If you guys really want to see what's behind the mask, then all you had to do was ask me!" she giggled, holding one photograph.

"Let us see that!" Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura yelled, charging towards my sister.

Kallera screamed and whistled, jumping on the back of a dark brown, Shetland pony. She gripped it's mane. "Run like the wind, Snickers!" she ordered.

The pony took off down the forest trails, with my three teammates following her.

"Kallera, get back here!" Dad called after her, running after them.

"Damnit." Kovu cursed.

"Yep, you do my chores for one month, starting the second we get home." I reminded, walking ahead.

"I totally hate you right now." Kovu said, walking beside me.

I smiled. "Now this, is an ending."

* * *

Next time…

**Film Actress**: Let's go beyond the Rainbow!

**Naruto**: *Sighs* Oh, Princess Gale, she's so beautiful.

**Sakura**: Tsukuyaku, I could watch him forever.

**Kristin**: I say Shishimaru is hottest one.

**Sasuke**: Why would Kakashi want us to see the movie before our mission?

**Kovu**: Agreed. It's really not like dad.

**Naruto**: Who cares?

**Sakura**: I didn't mind. I could watch it over and over again.

**Kristin**: Next time: **Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow!**


	64. Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow

**Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow!**

* * *

_The battlefield was covered with weapons, sprung out as far as the eye could see. Bodies covered the ground._

_"It's over. There's no where else to go." Tsukekuro said, leaning against his weapon._

_"It was a fool's decision, right from the start." Shishimaru muttered, laying flat on his back._

_"There is just no way." Buriken said, leaning against a tree._

_"There is a way, have faith." their princess replied. "I know that we will find it. We must never give up."_

_An evil laugh echoed from a distance, and Mao rose up, creating a violent wind storm. His dead soldiers rose up once more and prepared to attack Princess Gale and her comrades._

_In the midst of the battle, Princess Gale's rainbow chakra blazed around her and, together with Buriken, Shishimaru, and Tsukekuro, they defeated the undead army and blasted Mao away. A rainbow shone overhead._

* * *

Naruto cheered loudly from where he was. "Alright! Good sticks it to evil once again!"

I folded my arms and sighed. The building manager stormed in and yelled at us, causing Naruto to loose his footing and fall right on his head.

"You little freeloader, you snuck in here without paying!" accused the manager.

"No, we just wanted to get a little training done while we watched the movie." Naruto defended.

Sasuke, myself, Sakura, and Kovu jumped down and landed on our feet.

"We have tickets." Sasuke informed, showing the manager our passes.

"Are you guys ninja?" the manager asked.

"You bet we are!" Naruto explained, smiling like an idiot.

Soon, everyone else in the audience threw stuff at us and we took that as our cue to leave, dragging Naruto out with us.

* * *

Naruto stared up at the promotional billboard for the movie, sighing. "That was the best movie ever."

"I don't want to hear it!" Sakura yelled. "You made such a racket in there, we didn't get to see the whole thing." she sighed. "It's such a shame too, I could've watched that handsome Michi who plays Tsukekuro all day long." she sighed. "Of course he doesn't compare to you Sasuke."

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Okay dad, you can show up anytime now." I muttered, crossing my legs.

"You know he's always late, why start showing up now?" Kovu questioned, laying on his back and lacing his hands behind his head.

Naruto sighed heavily. "Why can't there be girls like her out there?" he asked aloud, looking up at the movie billboard. "I mean where's my Princess Gale, ya know? If I could fight for a girl like that, I'd be on cloud nine."

"Whatever." Sasuke replied. "It's just a movie."

"I wonder why dad even wanted us to see this movie before he gave us our mission?" I wondered, looking up at the poster.

A horse whinny caught our attention and suddenly a woman who strangely resembled Princess Gale jumped over the wooden fence, riding on a white horse, and ran ahead. She was being chased by people in samurai armor riding black horses.

"No way, was that the princess?" Sakura asked.

"C'mon!" Naruto called, chasing after them.

As Naruto ran ahead of us, the rest of my team and I took a side alley and decided to try and fool those people chasing the princess. I summoned Guruko and had him transform into the white horse, while I transformed into the Princess.  
Sasuke, Kovu, and Sakura followed close behind me and soon enough, the guards were chasing after me and I led them to another part of the village.

* * *

Two of the soldiers chasing me threw some kind of slick oil on the ground ahead and Guruko slipped, and I fell on my knees.

"We've finally captured her." an older man said, trotting up on a brown horse.

When the guards tightened their grips on me, I had no choice but to fight back. And once I did, the transformation broke.

"What the? Who are you?" the older man asked.

Sasuke showed up and knocked him out with ease. I threw the soldiers off me and we tied them all up with ease.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" dad asked, appearing on the temple stairs.

"Killing time." Sasuke answered, wiping his hands.

Guruko, who had broken the transformation jutsu, chuckled lightly. "Just so you know, I had nothing to do with this." he said, before vanishing.

Dad reappeared by the gentlemen in the black sunglasses, untying the rope. "I am so sorry about this." he apologized.

"Sorry?" Kovu repeated, confused.

"This is the gentleman who hired us for our mission today." dad informed.

I exchanged a look with my teammates and brother and I think all of us felt a little stupid.

"We are so grounded for this, aren't we?" I asked dad, not looking directly in his eyes.

"Yet to be determined." dad answered.

Kovu and I chuckled lightly and swallowed.

"So, these are your students?" the gentlemen, named Sandayu, asked.

"Yes." dad answered. "And those two," he pointed to Kovu and me. "are also my children."

Sandayu looked at us and nodded slightly. "I see, well I suppose I should inform you about your mission."

As we followed Sandayu, dad pulled me back. "Where is Naruto?" he asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I honestly don't know." I answered.

* * *

Sandayu led us to a warehouse of some sort which was crowded with different people, it almost reminded me of a soundstage or a movie set.

"So, our mission is to guard Yukie Fujikaze, the actress best known for her role as Princess Gale." Dad informed.

"Guard?" Sasuke questioned.

"Well, more like escort I guess." Dad corrected.

"Why would we need to escort her?" I asked, looking at the producer.

"The next Princess Gale movie is the first one we're shooting abroad." he answered. "And I don't need to tell you that our leading lady is a bit of a diva."

"Still, these young Leaf Ninja are impressive." the director complemented. "They took out those stunt men turned body guards like it was child's play."

"Oh, well thank you." dad replied, looking at the four of us.

I looked around the stage warehouse and was in awe of how much it really took to put a movie together.

"Oh, wow, look at those cliffs." Sakura gaped, looking at a photo of three ice glaciers.

"That's the rainbow glacier, in the Land of Snow." a voice answered, making us turn.

My heart literally fell into my stomach. The two actors who played Buriken and Shishimaru were standing beside us.

"You're Ken." Sakura pointed out, giddily. "You played the role of Buriken."

"The Rainbow Glacier is the next stop we're going to film for the movie." the second actor informed.

"And you're Hidero. You played Shishimaru!" I squealed, my heart racing. "I am totally your biggest fan. That fight scene where it was you against like fifteen of those soldiers was so amazing, it literally took my breath away." I sighed, looking up at him.

"Oh great, Kristin's met her celebrity crush." Kovu sighed in annoyance.

I glared in his direction and punched his head, huffing. "Can it." I growled. I turned back to Hidero and smiled, pulling out a small blank scroll from my ninja pouch. "Can I have your autograph?" I asked.

Hidero chuckled. "Of course you can." he answered, taking the scroll and signing it. "What's your name, young lady."

I giggled. "Kristin. Kristin Hatake." I answered, smiling.

Hidero signed the scroll and handed it to me. It read 'To my #1 fan, Kristin. Thanks for the support, XO, Hidero.'

I giggled and looked over the scroll. "I am so framing this when I get home!" I squealed.

"The Land of Snow?" Sasuke sighed. "Seems like a long way to go just to shoot some scene for a movie."

"Yukie's manager, Sandayu recommended it." the producer informed. "He said the Rainbow Glacier turns seven different colors during the springtime."

"No, that's just an old legend." dad informed, leaning against the storyboard. "Truth is, there is no Spring in the Land of Snow."

"Not ever?" Sasuke asked.

"So does that mean it's Winter all year long?" I questioned.

"Pretty much." dad answered us.

The director took a puff of his pipe. "It's Kakashi right?" he asked. "From what I hear, this won't bee your first time in the Land of Snow."

Dad chuckled. "That was a long time ago." he admitted.

"You've been to the Land of Snow dad?" Kovu asked.

Dad nodded. "Yeah, back in my ANBU days, a bit before your time kids." he answered, looking at Kovu and me.

"They say that it's a very poor nation." another actor said, stepping behind Sakura.

My teammate turned around and her eyes turned to hearts. "You played Tsukekuro!" she squealed. "Oh Michi you are great!"

"I heard that the Land of Snow's former leader had a thing for gadgets." Michi added. "They say he spent the entire clan's fortune on mountains filled with useless junk."

"I just hope they have central heating." Hidero joked. "I'm not really cut out for the cold."

"Maybe you should run for the hills too, just like Yukie." Ken chuckled.

"C'mon guys, that's not funny." whined the producer.

"Although, Yukie only started running after she heard we were going to the Land of Snow." Michi pointed out.

"Look, I may not know anything about her personal life." the director cut in. "But I know talent when I see it. And I know Yukie was a born actress."

* * *

Sasuke, Sakura, Kovu, and I aided in the search of Yukie, and found her, as well as Naruto, in a bar. Yukie was hammered drunk.

"I'm bowing out as a Princess." Yukie said. "It happens all the time okay? Lead actresses change from sequel to sequel." she added. "C'mon directors change every five minutes."

"That's enough!" Sandayu snapped. "There is nobody else on this planet who can play Princess Gale other than you! Besides, if you pull out this late in the game, you'll never work in this business again!"

"So, who cares." Yukie sighed and poured another glass of Sake.

"Well then, guess there's no other choice." dad said. He revealed his Sharingan and knocked out Yukie unconscious.

My team and I went to our homes and packed up for the mission. I packed my usual jade green top and skirt, but also added my black leggings, black gloves, and a dark green, long sleeved, crop top. And just for travel I packed one pillow and the blanket that Yoshino Nara made for me, just in case I got really cold on the boat ride.

* * *

The boat trip to the Land of Snow was quite a long one, not to mention boring as hell. But, to pass the time, the actors shot a couple of scenes for the next movie, so it was like we were getting our own little preview of the sequel, which was exciting.

"I don't think I can deal with this lady." Naruto huffed, sitting cross-legged on the ship.

"What are you talking about?" dad asked. "You're sworn to protect her. This is a very important mission."

"An important mission?" Kovu repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, and A-ranked one." dad replied.

"Escorting an actress is an A-ranked mission?" I questioned.

"I don't think babysitting some pampered actress would be all that difficult." Sasuke sighed.

"That's not true Sasuke." dad rebuffed. "Big celebrities are targeted all the time. It's also hard to know who exactly is after them." he added. "So just be on your guard."

I rolled my eyes and sighed, watching as they prepared a scene-stage for the next shot. Yukie didn't seem all that enthusiastic about the entirety of it all.

"All right folks, I wanna get this one on the first take!" ordered the director.

"Scene 23, cut 6, take 1, and action!" shouted the producer.

The scene was the end of a battle, with Shishimaru being gravely wounded and Princess Gale crying at his side. Watching Yukie act like that, made me feel like I was actually watching the film, so much I actually felt moisture well in my eyes.  
"She's amazing." I breathed.

"Yes, when the camera starts to roll, she comes alive." Sandayu replied. "No other actress on Earth can match her brilliance."

It took two takes to shoot the scene and the director called it a job well done.

* * *

The next day we came upon the shores of a glaciered island of some sort, and the temperatures were as frigid as could be. The ship docked and the film crew was preparing to shoot what I guessed would be one of the climactic fight scenes of the sequel film.

"Wow, this is unbelievable." I sighed, gaping at the cliffs ahead.

"It's not all that impressive." Sasuke sighed.

I rolled my eyes. "You really know how to suck the fun out of everything, ya know?" I told him. "All I know is, Choji and Shikamaru are gonna be so jealous when we tell them about this mission."

Sasuke huffed and walked away, leaving me standing alone amongst a group of stunt men. I rolled my eyes and walked over to my dad and brother.

Just as the scene got rolling, an explosion occurred on one of the cliffs. Three ninja clad in weird armor, wearing headbands with four dots etched into the metal appeared.

"Greetings, Princess Koyuki." said the female ninja with pink hair in pigtails. "I hope you're still carrying the hex crystal."

"Fubuki and Mizore, you go for the Princess." ordered the lead ninja, with long, lavender hair.

The female with pink hair, Fubuki, and the big guy, Mizore charged for Yukie.

"Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, protect Yukie." dad ordered. "Kovu, Kristin, If you feel you have to use that type of jutsu, use it." he added, before charging for the lead ninja, Nadare.

Kovu and I exchanged a look of confusion and went to fight the other two ninja. Kovu helped Naruto fight Mizore and I helped Sasuke with Fubuki.

"Everyone back to the ship!" Sakura yelled, and all the cast crew ran, except for Yukie.

* * *

Fubuki used a string of 'Ice Style' techniques that made it a bit hard for Sasuke and me to weave any signs at all. Even his 'Fire Style: Fireball' wasn't having any effect on the ice.

"This chick means business." Sasuke grunted as we braced ourselves from another dodge.

"Well if you can't one-up them, get on an even field." I noted, focusing my chakra. Soon, my eyes became sharper and I smiled. "There we go."

I moved in the direction of the water and made my counter move. I weaved the signs Tiger → Ox → Monkey → Rabbit → Ram → Boar → Ox → Horse → Monkey → Tiger → Dog → Tiger → Snake → Tiger → Ox → Monkey → Rabbit → Bird and held my focus. "Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!" I yelled, sending a slamming force of water at Fubuki.

"Nice try girl." she sneered. "Ice Style: Ice Prison" another block of ice appeared and diverted my water attack.

I landed next to the ice block to catch my breath. Then, a split-second sensation of paralysis took over my body and my seal automatically advanced. I looked at my reflection and saw the crimson marks materialize on my skin.

Fubuki put up a good fight, but she got a little to focused on Sasuke, and that gave me my opening for another counter attack.

"When you're facing two opponents, never take your eyes off either of them." I snarled, pushing my seal to stage three, going full wolf.

It wasn't a complete transformation as my eyes were the same and the portion of fur over my right eye was pink, like my normal bangs.

I fired a fireball from my mouth and it barely struck Fubuki, whose chakra armor could sprout wings and dodge my attack mid-air.

"Water Style: Water Dragon!" I yelled, and a dragon emerged from the water and hit her.

"Ice Style: Dragon vs. Tiger!" Fubuki countered.

I barely dodged that attack but lost my footing on the cold ground. I snarled up at her as she chuckled.

I heard a roar from behind me and saw that Kovu had transformed too, protecting Sakura from Mizore's advancements.

"So the demons have returned to the land of their birth." Fubuki chuckled.

I jumped up on one of her ice blocks and bared my fangs.

* * *

As the fight between Nadare and my dad intensified, the island ground became unstable. I knew we had to leave before something happened, so I ran back towards the ship.

Sasuke jumped on my back and I regrouped with Kovu, Sakura, and Naruto.

"Kakashi-sensei told us to run for it." Naruto informed.

"And I agree, let's get outta here." Kovu agreed.

We made a run for the ship. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Fubuki and Mizore regroup and each of them held a kunai in their hand, a grin on their face.

I focused my chakra and created another ice block that appeared right below us and Kovu and I jumped up in the air. We used that as a platform to jump again, and hopefully make it on board the ship.

Then I felt a stinging sensation in my lower, right thigh and let out a yelp. Kovu mewed in pain as well and we both lost our footing as we made it on the ship. I met my brother's eyes for a second then I blacked out.

* * *

I woke up a bit groggy and when I rolled over I fell on the floor and shook my head. "Ouch, that hurt." I whimpered.

Dad was standing in the corner of the room, a strange look on his face. Kovu woke up and yawned.

"What's up?" he asked.

When I turned to answer, I was a bit freaked. "Kovu you're-you're still…" I backed up. "you're still transformed."

He looked at me and his jaw dropped. "Uh sis, so are you."

I cocked my head to the side. "What?" I asked.

"It's better if I show you." dad cut in.

Kovu jumped from the bed and stood next to me. Dad uncovered a mirror and showed us. In the reflection was a large, black wolf, and a large-r dark brown lion, with only a few slight differences.

The wolf had a portion of pink fur over her right eye, a small part of the neck fur was lavender, and her eyes were as blue as the sky. The lion's mane was black with a few strips of white and his eyes were the same sky blue. Lastly, both of them wore Konohagakure headbands around their necks.

"How did this happen?" Kovu asked, staring at our reflections.

Dad sighed. "A sealing formula was on the tags attached to the kunai that hit the two of you." he answered, holding two kunai knives in his hand. "It looks a timed formula, that lasts for roughly twenty four hours."

"Twenty-four hours?" I repeated. "So, we're stuck like this?"

"I'm afraid so Kristin." dad answered, kneeling down in front of us.

"Dad, can't you re-write the formula or something?" Kovu asked.

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, no." he admitted. He wrapped both of his arms around us in a warm hug, rubbing our necks. "I'm sorry kids, I shouldn't have told you to use the jutsu."

"The seal activated on it's own." Kovu admitted. "I had no control, and believe me, I tried."

I nodded. "Me too." I added.

Dad looked at us and sighed. "It's gonna be okay." he reassured. He got up to leave and opened the door.

"Uh dad, that ninja I fought." I started, stepping forward. "She said 'the demons have returned to the land of their birth'. What did she mean?"

Dad sighed. "I'll explain everything in due time. Now come on." he motioned and we followed him out of the room and met with the rest of the team.

They were shocked when we told them we were stuck in the demon state for at least a day, but they didn't add anything to it, seeing how depressed we really were about it. Kovu sat in between Sakura and Sasuke, while I sat on the other side of Sasuke.

* * *

After talking with Sandayu, we learned the truth behind Yukie's reason for not wanting to return to the Land of Snow. First, Yukie Fujikaze was only an alias, her real name was Koyuki Kazahana, and she was the rightful heir to the throne of the Land of Snow. Sandayu was her aid when he served under Soutetsu Kazahana, the then leader of the clan.

"I looked after her, as well as her older sister." Sandayu explained.

"She has a sister?" Naruto asked.

"Had. She had a sister." dad corrected.

Sandayu looked at my dad before nodding. "Yes, both girls were so beautiful, lively, and so wonderful." she added, tearing up.

"Wait, if her sister is older, shouldn't she be the heir to the throne?" I asked, confused.

"That would be the case, if she were still alive." Sandayu answered.

Dad sighed. "What happened was simple." he said, pulling a photo from his bag. "This is Koyuki's sister."

Kovu and I leaned over the table to get a better look, and gasped when we saw the photo. She was a young teenager, really young. With flowing lavender hair, and bright pink bangs, and eyes as blue as the sky. Her smile was radiant and she wore a white and blue kimono, with a jade green sash around her waist.

"That's-" Kovu gasped, swallowing and leaning back down.

"Mom." I finished, tearing up.

"That's right." dad clarified. "Your mother, Kagome, was Koyuki's sister. She was about to be named queen of the land, before tragedy struck." he put the photo back in his bag, and sighed.

"The fall of the Kazahana clan." Sandayu muttered. "Fifteen years ago, Lord Sōsetsu's younger brother, Dotō, hired a group of Snow ninja and instigated a revolt." he informed.

"A coup d'état." Sasuke murmured.

Sandayu nodded. "That day, the magnificent Kazahana Castle burned to the ground, and I feared that the Princesses along with it."

"There was no way we could defeat them." dad cut in. "We had to keep running. I took Kagome and Koyuki from the fire to the docks. Sandayu took Koyuki while Kagome came along with me to the Hidden Leaf." dad looked at me and Kovu, "And the rest of the story you both know."

"I should've died back then." Koyuki said from the entryway. "I'm alive, but my heart is dead. After that day, any tears I had left, dried up."

Sandayu wiped the tears from his eyes. "And that's how I became the manager for Yukie Fujikaze." he informed. "I waited for the day when I would escort her back to the Land of Snow."

Sandayu apologized to the director and producer for using them to get Koyuki back to the Land of Snow. He raced to Koyuki and bowed before her, begging her to take her place on the throne.

"I don't think so." Koyuki scoffed.

"What about your people?" Sandayu asked, still on his knees.

"What about them?" Koyuki repeated. "Just forget it. No matter what you do, you will never get rid of Dotō!"

By that point, Naruto had, had about enough and slammed his hand down on the table. He yelled at Koyuki for her lack of respect at Sandayu. A part of me actually agreed with him, I was having trouble believing she was actually my aunt.

"Unfortunately we only have one course of action now." dad said, gaining all of our attentions. "Now that Dotō is on her trail, running isn't an option. We have to fight, it's the only way."

"Kakashi-sensei." Sakura sighed, rubbing Kovu's shoulder.

"Alright! Time to get back to the mission!" Naruto exclaimed. "The Princess returns to the Land of Snow!"

"stop fooling around!" Koyuki yelled. "Movies aren't like real life. There is no such thing as a 'Happy Ending' in this world!"

"Sure there is." rebuked the movie director. "If you're willing to look for one."

"Normally in circumstances like this I would return to the village for some help." dad inputted.

"No need, we're fine." Sasuke rebuked. "We're well staffed as is, we can handle it."

Kovu and I looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders. I guess Sasuke had a valid point, since two of the team were, in fact, demons.

"Thank you all." Sandayu said.

"It's settled, we're going on with the movie." the director announced.

"And this one is gonna have a happy ending." added the producer.

"Damn straight!" Naruto agreed.

* * *

The crew packed up the stuff they needed and we headed out in a small caravan. My team and I were riding in an RV trailer, and I could say I was enjoying it.

Kovu and I were laying on either side of a circular table, he was in front of Sakura while I was in front of Sasuke.

"I hope this curse wears off soon." I groaned, laying my head on the cushion.

"Why Kris, staring to get fleas?" Naruto joked.

I glared at him, "Actually, I'm starting to crave meat, rare meat. Fresh meat." I licked my fangs for emphasis and Naruto looked away.

"Nice scare tactic sis." Kovu said, licking his paw.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

Sasuke scratched behind my ears. "It'll wear off soon. In the meantime, make the most of this." he reassured. "Who knows, this could actually work to our advantage."

"Sasuke's right." Sakura agreed. "Try looking on the bright side."

* * *

The caravan stopped for a scene shoot, and Kovu and I took that time to curve our appetites by hunting a couple of snowshoe hares. The meat was warm and tender and really hit the spot.

"I'm starting to get used to this." Kovu said, cleaning his paws.

I licked my jowls. "Strangely, me too." I agreed. "Maybe this isn't such a bad thing."

"Meaning what exactly?" Kovu asked, walking beside me.

"Meaning that we're learning how to control our powers in this state." I answered. "This could help us in future assignments and stuff."

"I see your point." Kovu licked the top of my head and chuckled.

I shook my head and nudged his shoulder.

* * *

We hopped back in the caravan and headed through a cave. I could describe it in two words; dark and damp.

"Once upon a time a railroad ran through here." Sandayu informed us.

"A railroad?" Kovu repeated.

"It's covered by ice and snow now, but yes." Sandayu replied.

* * *

The caravan stopped shortly after we exited the cave. However, Koyuki had vanished again so we had to fan out and search for her. Thankfully, me being in my wolf state, I could track her by scent, and Naruto helped me out with tracking her down.

"Got anything?" he asked, looking at me.

I sniffed and ground and air, and shook my head. "We'll find her." then I faintly heard the sound of someone tripping and a few grunts. "This way." I leapt down the mountain trail with Naruto by my side.

The snow was fine and had a powdered texture and it stuck to my black fur as I ran down the trail. I came across a body laying down in the snow, unconscious, and as I got closer I realized it was Koyuki.

"Naruto!" I yelled, "I found her."

"Coming!" Naruto called back, running in my direction. "Nice job Kris." he patted my head and slung Koyuki on his back. "Let's get back to Kakashi-sensei and the others."

I nodded and turned around, "Climb on." I said, looking back at him. "It'll be faster getting there if you ride on my back."

I increased my size to that of a doe and Naruto climbed on. "Hang on, knucklehead." I chuckled, bounding up the trail.

* * *

I walked slowly through the cave that we had just recently passed through. Koyuki stirred and groaned.

"Why?" she asked, groggily. "Why do you always come looking for me?' the questioned was more directed at Naruto than me.

I rolled my eyes and sighed, my breath visible due to the freezing temperature. It was at that moment I was happy I had a nice fur coat keeping me warm.

"Because it's my mission." Naruto answered.

"Our mission." I corrected. "And no matter how much you hate it, we have to comply until our client tells us otherwise." I looked over my shoulder and met eyes with Koyuki for only a second, before she looked away from me.

I looked back ahead and sighed. This was a little bit awkward.

"Just try to hide, we're still gonna find you." Naruto said, rubbing the back of my neck.

I shook my head, flakes of snow falling off my fur. The sound of my paws walking across the ground echoed throughout the cave.

"You can drag me back if your like, all I'm gonna do is act for the camera." Koyuki scoffed.

I rolled my eyes and shook my snout. Then, I heard the faint sound of an engine and stopped.

"Kris? What is it?" Naruto asked.

"I hear something." I answered, looking back behind me. Then I heard the sound, and it sounded like a train. "Am I going crazy or is there a train behind us?"

Then, the ice melted on the ground, revealing two sets of railroad tracks on either side of me. I looked down closer and could sense chakra running through the iron rails, and that's what melted the ice. I looked back the way we came and saw a light approaching us.

"Shit." I cursed, as the train sounded again. "Hang on!"

I spun around and bolted down the center, in between the two tracks.

"Woah there girl." Koyuki scoffed.

"My name is Kristin." I corrected.

I continued my sprint through the cave, with the train catching up to me.

"We're never gonna make it!" Koyuki yelled.

"Shut up!" I retorted.

I picked up my speed by sending chakra to the pads on my paws. And, one sharp left later, the ext was in sight. As I passed through the exit I jumped off to the left and the train rushed right past me. The force threw Naruto and Koyuki off my back and they landed next to me.

* * *

I shook the snow off my fur, "Phew, that was a close one." I sighed.

Naruto started to laugh a little and I rolled my eyes. The train stopped a few yards away from us, near the caravan.

A voice came over the speaker, "It's about time, Koyuki." he said. "It's been fifteen years since I last saw you. Let's see that beautiful face of yours."

"It's Dotō." Koyuki said, her voice shaking.

Naruto and stood protectively in front of Koyuki.

"So what's the plan Kris?" Naruto asked me.

"Call in reinforcements." I answered. I straightened out my body and stood tall, making eye contact with Dotō for a few seconds. Then I threw my head back and howled, and it echoed all around me. I hoped Kovu and the others heard and would come and help us out, before it was too late.

Then, logs fell down the side of the mountain and crashed into the train side. Naruto and I looked in that direction and saw Sandayu clad in samurai armor along with others in similar dress.

"There you have it men! Our beloved Princess Koyuki has returned to us!" Sandayu announced. "Victory will be ours!"

The other samurai cheered. Sandayu drew his sword and vowed to avenge Sōsetsu Kazahana. The other samurai raised their weapons and charged down the mountainside.

The panels on the train side slid open to reveal automatic weapons of some sort. On Dotō's command, several Yukigakure shinobi fired the weapons, which were automatic kunai launchers. Pretty soon, the snow on the mountainside was stained with blood of those samurai who never even stood a chance. From where I stood, I could tell they weren't going to make it. Only Sandayu stood tall, and was almost bombarded by another round of kunai, but a Fūma Shuriken blocked the majority of them.

"Sasuke." I muttered, when I saw him run across the mountainside.

A few seconds later, small explosions sounded which triggered an avalanche. The falling snow then turned to a pack of wolves running down the side of the mountain and they all crashed into the train, damaging it and the shinobi on board. As the train began to leave, a couple parts of the tracks exploded.

"Nice one." I sighed. I looked over at Naruto and smiled, "Our team had our backs."

* * *

However, Dotō somehow escaped, but Sandayu took precedent over that for the moment.

"We heard your howl." Sasuke informed, running up to me.

"I knew you guys would come." I replied, my tail wagging.

I looked over at the mountainside and the smell of blood was overwhelming. Sasuke and I ran over there, where dad already was.

"Dad." I called, running up to my father. I stopped at his side and nudged his shoulder with my snout.

He reached out and rubbed my neck. I looked down and saw how wounded Sandayu was, and I could tell he wasn't gonna live much longer. He made eye contact with Koyuki and spoke his last words to her, his final wish for her.

"You're such a fool, Sandayu." Koyuki murmured. "I can't cry, you have my eye drops." she stood up. "You're all going to die if you stay here. Let's just go home already." she huffed as she walked off.

"Go home to where?" Naruto asked her. "I thought this was your home, wasn't it? What the hell do you need to go back to, your place is here. Face Dotō and put your house in order!"

Koyuki turned to look at us, specifically Naruto. "You know absolutely nothing." she spat. "Spring doesn't come to this country. Our tears have frozen over and our hearts hardened with the cold."

"But aren't you the only one who could change all that?" Sakura asked. "At least, that's what Sandayu believed."

Koyuki didn't even bother replying, instead she just stormed off. Naruto grabbed her arm, forcing her to halt.

"Enough already!" Koyuki screamed.

* * *

Then, an airship flew up from under the ledge, and Mizore used his extending armor to grab Koyuki. Kunai with mini bombs flew down towards us, and when they made contact with the ground, they sprouted spikes made of solid ice.

I jumped to dodge and one spike nicked my lower right forearm. I landed on another shard and readied to attack.

"Where's Naruto?" Kovu asked, looking around.

"Oh, don't tell me he didn't." Sakura groaned.

But Naruto had indeed done something stupid. I looked up and saw him dangling from a small rope that was attached to the base of the aircraft. He was up to something, but that wasn't my problem, he was just doing the mission, taking care of Koyuki. Soon though, the aircraft was out of sight, and we were on our own.

We knew what our only option was, and that was follow the airship, as discreetly as possible.

* * *

The four of us came to the base of the fortress, and I suddenly felt strange.

"Bro, you feel that?" I asked, looking over at him.

"It's like déjà vu." he replied, shaking out his mane.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, fisting Kovu's mane.

"The demons have returned to the land of their birth." I repeated. I gasped, "Maybe this is where Helgo and Helena came from, where they lived in their lifetimes."

Kovu nodded, "That would explain it."

"Okay, we have our assignments, let's move." Sasuke ordered, patting the side of my neck.

"Got it." Sakura, Kovu, and I replied in unison.

* * *

We diverged into our two-man teams and followed the assignments dad gave us.

The guards came into view and I attacked them, pinning one down under my front paws and kicking a few others around with my hind legs.

Soon, we regrouped with Kovu and Sakura, and we took out the remainder of the guards and met up with dad, Naruto, and Koyuki.

"Man this place is crawling with guards." Sakura groaned.

"This way." Koyuki instructed.

We followed her down the corridors ahead. The explosions we set ahead of time went off and we could hear them.

* * *

Koyuki led us to an open room and suddenly and lights came on and Dotō was sitting atop a chair, similar to those that royalty sat on.

"Well done Koyuki." Dotō said, chuckling.

We all gasped and Koyuki ran to Dotō.

"Koyuki! Wait!" Kovu and I yelled, running after her.

Nadare and his team blocked our path, forcing us to halt suddenly.

"It can't be." dad gasped.

"This shouldn't be a surprise to any of you." Koyuki scoffed, handing something to Dotō. "I mean really, I'm an actress."

"And there you have it," Dotō chuckled. "another great performance by the great Yukie Fujikaze."

Koyuki pulled out Sandayu's small blade and stabbed Dotō, much to his shock. "I told you, I'm an actress." she repeated.

Dotō grabbed Koyuki by the throat, choking her.

"I knew, that when I returned to this country, that I was going to die here." Koyuki choked out, plunging the blade deeper into Dotō.

"Don't do it!" Naruto pleaded. "Don't ever stop fighting!"

"Naruto, it's only thanks to you that I could stop running away, here at the end." Koyuki went on, struggling to breathe.

"No! Because all you're doing is running away!" Naruto rebuked. "Don't throw away your life like this!"

Koyuki muttered something and both her and Dotō fell off the ledge and hit the ground with a thud.

Naruto ran to check on her, but was punched by Dotō, who was somehow still alive.

"You really thought you could kill me?" he asked, chuckling. The small sword fell from his chest, and Dotō's robe slid off, revealing chakra armor, that was somewhat different than what Nadare and the others were wearing.

"Our latest prototype of Chakra Armor." Dotō informed. He picked up Koyuki, who had woken up, and flew up and busted through the ceiling with Nadare and his team following.

The fortress started crumbling and we had to move quickly before we were buried alive.

* * *

Sasuke, myself, Sakura, and Kovu were running through the forest with Fubuki and Mizore chasing us. Sakura was on Kovu's back while Sasuke was on mine.

"There chakra armor is making a bit harder to locate them, they move so damn fast." I muttered, dodging more kunai knives with ice bombs attached to them.

"Can you tell where they are?" Sasuke asked, looking over at Sakura and Kovu.

"Hold on a sec." Sakura replied, pulling on Kovu's mane, halting him. "Twenty degrees left in five seconds, thirty meters out."

"Aim for that branch." Kovu added.

"Got it." Sasuke and I said in unison.

I decreased my speed and dove low, giving Sasuke a bit more momentum to throw wire at our designated target.

"Give it up, it's useless." Mizore called.

Kovu and Sakura stood still, with Sakura tossing a barrage of kunai knives with small, pink packets attached to the hilts.

"Enjoy the specialty technique from the Leaf's Cherry Blossom herself." Kovu smirked.

"Sakura Blizzard Jutsu." Sakura added, throwing a kunai knife with a paper bomb on the hilt.

The shockwave of the explosion caused Fubuki to fall into the trap Sasuke set. It worked just like we planned.

"You're dealing with ninja of the Snow here." she reminded. "You're gonna have to do a lot better than that."

"You're probably right." I snickered from behind her.

Sasuke hit her with his 'Lion's Barrage', and Fubuki collided with Mizore, who was a bit disoriented from Sakura's jutsu. When the two snow ninja collided there was a small explosion and both weren't responsive afterwards.

"Woah, what happened there?" Kovu asked, shaking out his mane.

"Maybe the armor cancelled each other out, and they short circuited." I guessed, cocking my head to the side.

"So now what?" Sakura asked.

"Try to find Dotō and rescue the princess." Sasuke answered. "Stay in the scope of the mission."

"In that case, I think I know where we should go." Kovu said, looking up the mountainside.

"The Rainbow Glacier." I clarified, looking in the same direction.

Kovu and I exchanged a glance and nodded. From the look in his eyes, he was feeling the same thing I was, and that was we had to get to that glacier, like something was calling us there.

"Let's move." Sasuke ordered, patting the back of my neck.

"Right behind you." Sakura added, fisting Kovu's mane.

My brother and I nodded at each other and bounded up the mountainside, the Rainbow Glacier as our destination.

* * *

As we were nearing the top, we began to feel heat coming from the glacier.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked.

"It sounds like a generator is running." Kovu answered.

I sniffed the air. "Dotō and Koyuki are defiantly there though." I informed.

"Kristin and I will go down to Dotō, you two cover us." Sasuke ordered.

Sakura and Kovu nodded and went off in another direction. I followed my nose and found Dotō.

"Go Sasuke, I'm right behind you." I whispered, crouching low to the ground.

Sasuke charged in, Sharingan activated, and used his Chidori at close range. The recoil from the chakra armor sent him flying away from Dotō. I sent chakra to my feet and softened his landing, placing myself between him and an ice obelisk.

I grunted as I hit the ground, but shook off the wave of dizziness.

"Do you really think your pitiful jutsu could damage me?" Dotō asked, smirking.

I stood protectively in front of Sasuke, snarling at Dotō. "Ice Style: Ice Prison!" I yelled, creating ice obelisks to protect me from him.

"Not gonna work." Dotō rebuked. "Black Wolf Avalanche!" about four smoky wolves crashed through the ice obelisks I created, showering me with the shards, and tearing at me.

"_Kazahana Ice Style." _a voice whispered to me.

I shook my head. "What?" I asked aloud.

"_Kazahana Ice Style. Rat-Bird-Horse-Dog." _the voice whispered.

I closed my eyes and visualized the signs, taking a deep breath and exhaling. My eyes shot open, "Kazahana Ice Style: Howling Blizzard!" I yelled, and a rush of cold wind blew around me, creating a massive blizzard, which struck Dotō with a lot of force. The blizzard jutsu was toned with seven different hues, reminding me of a rainbow mirage.

Through the hues I saw cracks appear in Dotō's armor, and smiled. I turned to Sasuke, who was barely conscious, "Climb on my back, hurry." I told him, crouching down.

Sasuke, sluggishly, climbed onto my back and fisted the fur on my neck.

"Hang on." I said, running away from the battle site. I looked back down and knew who I had to call to finish this. _"It's up to you now…" _I thought, before throwing my head back and howling Naruto's name.

* * *

Then dozens of Narutos came from the frozen lake, much to Dotō's shock. He unleashed two smoky black dragons that destroyed some of the shadow clones. The collision of the two jutsus created a gigantic smoke cloud that was nearly impossible to see through.

"This little farce is over!" Dotō announced, laughing manically.

"Not yet it's not!" Naruto rebuked. "It's not over until I say it is."

I saw two Narutos, the real one and a shadow clone, and the real Naruto was holding, what looked like, pure chakra in the palm of his hand. "It's not over until justice prevails and evil is wiped out. Every good story has to have a happy ending."

Kovu landed beside me, "What kind of jutsu is that?" he asked, blue eyes wide.

I shook my head. "I have no idea." I answered.

Sakura jumped off of Kovu's back and stood next to him while I laid down, with Sasuke leaning against my side.

As Naruto charged at Dotō, the sun rose over the mountains and refracted the light on the glacier surfaces, giving his jutsu an almost rainbow hue.

"The Rainbow Chakra, it's just like in the movie." Sakura gasped.

Naruto's jutsu struck Dotō and sent him flying into one of the glaciers, cracking the ice and then, the most amazing this happened. In a blinding light, the snow melted away to reveal a green field all around us. I felt a warm breeze rush past me and I was back to normal, as was Kovu. No fur, no paws, no animal ears, and no tails, we were human again.

"Amazing." Sakura sighed.

"Man, I never though I would miss being on two legs so much." Kovu chuckled.

I giggled. "Same here." I agreed, my lavender ponytail draped over my shoulder.

"Welcome back." Sasuke said, looking up at me and lightly caressing my forearm.

"Guess that sealing jutsu wore off." dad joked, joining us.

"Kakashi-sensei, look the snow's melting away." Sakura pointed out.

"Do you know what's happening dad?" Kovu asked.

"Not a clue." dad answered.

* * *

"Believe in the future, if you do, the Spring will surely come." a male voice spoke.

In the center of the Rainbow Glacier a hologram of two girls, one a young teenager and another younger girl appeared.

The two girls were dancing around, smiling and giggling.

"What kind of Princess are you, Koyuki?" asked the older girl. "What kind will you be when you're older?"

"I'll be one who's strong, and kind, and fight's for justice!" little Koyuki giggled.

I saw Koyuki's lips move, but couldn't make out what she was saying. Then, someone appeared behind her, and I knew instantly who it was. Koyuki turned to the image and gasped, throwing her arms around her, sobbing.

"Sister." she said, and we all turned in her direction.

My mother had appeared to her, just like how I remembered her. She wrapped her arms around Koyuki and rubbed her back, smiling. She whispered something in her ear that made Koyuki's tears cease and she smiled.

I could feel the moisture welling in my eyes. "Mom." I whispered.

* * *

Then, her image appeared at the edge of where we were, her hands folded in front of her.

"Go to her." Sasuke advised, reaching up and caressing my jaw line.

I looked down at him and smiled. Slowly, I stood up and walked over to my mother's manifestation, along with my brother and father.

"Kagome." dad muttered, standing directly in front of her.

"Kakashi, my darling." she replied, smiling. She reached up and touched his cheek. "You don't know how great it is to see you again."

Dad reached up and took her hand. "Feeling's mutual."

Kovu and I stood there, shocked and awe all at once. Mom looked over at us and smiled.

"You did such a good job raising them." mom said, turning back to dad. "Raising the girls for these past few years, and taking in Kovu without a blink." she squeezed his hand, "That made me so very happy, to see the four of you together again."

"When I saw him at that tower, it was like a dream." dad replied. "He told me everything, and I believed him." he reached out and caressed her cheek, and he sighed. "It wasn't exactly how I wanted it to happen, but I got my family back."

Mom took his hand in both of hers, "The life that I wanted, I got. I had three kids who I adore and a wonderful husband who gave me the perfect life." she cupped his face and caressed it.

Then she turned her attention to Kovu and me, smiling at us. Kovu approached her and hugged her, taking a shaky breath. "I've missed you mom."

"I know." she replied, rubbing his back. "I'm proud of you." she pulled away and caressed his cheek, "You are going to be a wonderful shinobi, just like your father." she predicted, glancing at dad.

Finally, she turned to me, "Kristin, my little girl." she reached out to me.

"Mom." I breathed and dove into her open arms. "I've missed you so much."

"Same here sweet girl." mom replied, rubbing my upper back. "You've been so strong, even now."

I couldn't even form words, I just let my mother hug me, which is what I've wanted for so long. She still looked how I remembered, still smelled like I remembered, and I knew it wasn't a dream.

"It's time you two found out the truth." mom said, pulling away from me.

"What truth?" I asked, wiping the moisture from my eyes.

"Why you two have that special power." she answered. "It was my fault."

"Your fault?" Kovu repeated. "Mom?"

"It's kinda hard to explain." dad cut in, stepping in between Kovu and me.

"So I had better just show you." mom added.

She took mine and Kovu's hands and closed her eyes. My brother and I did the same.

* * *

{Vision/Flashback}

Kovu and I were still in the same spot, just there was snow everywhere.

"This is the Rainbow Glacier, fifteen years ago." mom told us.

"We would come here just to get away for a little bit." dad added. "It was our own, secret place."

We looked at dad, slightly confused.

"Kakashi was in the ANBU at that time and he was assigned to protect me." mom informed. "Safety precautions or being an overprotective father, I don't know. But, we fell in love, quickly."

"It was like we were meant to be." dad added. "We would spend hours just talking, about everything." he chuckled. "But one day, something happened."

"The coup." mom cut in, turning to the field. "Some of the ninja Dotō hired followed us and launched a surprise attack. It was your dad against a dozen Yukigakure shinobi."

"It was a tough fight, but I had to protect Kagome." dad went on. "I defeated them all, but I didn't escape unscathed."

We all turned to the field and saw something flash. It was almost like a mini movie or something.

_"Kakashi, hang on." mom pleaded. "Please baby, please hang on. For me." tears were streaming down her cheeks._

_"Kagome." dad choked out. His uniform was torn in some places and blood was everywhere. "Are you-"_

_"I'm okay, all thanks to you." she answered, placing her hands on his chest. "Now it's my turn to help you."_

Her hands began to glow, in a hue of colors, similar to rainbow chakra. The glow intensified and it reminded me of medical ninjutsu.

"I tried everything, poured my entire being into healing him." mom told us. "I just couldn't loose him. I loved him." moisture was welling in her eyes. "But I didn't have enough strength, so I asked for a favor, from the guardians of the land."

"Helgo and Helena." Kovu concluded.

Mom nodded. "Watch, and you'll learn the truth."

_She looked up at the sky, tears streaming down her cheeks, "Please, guardians, the shadows of protection, lend me your powers." she pleaded. "Lend me your powers so I can save him, the man that I love."_

_Two shadow animals appeared on either side of her, a black lion and black wolf._

_"We will aid you, young Princess." Helgo spoke, in a low, deep voice._

_"But, what will you give us in return?" asked Helena. "To receive our powers, you must give us something in return."_

_Mom shuddered. "I saw my future, only a glimpse." she informed. "In the crystal cavern, and I know what I can give you."_

_"We're listening." Helgo prided._

_"I saw myself and Kakashi, and we were married, happily." she replied. "A little boy, around three was running around the backyard. Kakashi was sitting on the back deck where a little girl, about one, was laying on his lap. I was in the back doorway, holding a baby, about a couple weeks old, and I was smiling." she looked at both figures, "In order for me to save Kakashi, I will-"_

_"You will allow us to merge our spirits with your oldest son and daughter." Helgo finished. "Our power will be their's and we will get a second chance at life."_

_"A high-priced bargain." Helena noted. "Are you sure?"_

_Mom looked down at dad, who's upper body was in her lap. She nodded. "Yes, I accept."_

_"Then it's done." Helgo and Helena said in unison, before vanishing._

The glow of mom's chakra intensified and all of dad's wounds healed instantly.

"That's the truth." mom told us, turning back to us. "That's why you have the demon spirits, because I wanted to save your father's life so badly."

I felt the tears fall and I understood. If I were in her situation, I probably would've done the same thing.

"It was after that when we found out about the coup, and I took her and Koyuki away to safety." dad added, placing his hands on our shoulders.

"I understand now mom." Kovu said. "I forgive you."

"Me too." I followed.

"Come here." she pulled us into an embrace and the everything went bright for a split second.

{End vision/flashback}

* * *

We pulled away and mom smiled at us. "Now you know the truth. And now all of you can move on."

She gave us each one more hug. "I love you all so much, and I'll always be watching over you." she blew us all a kiss before her spirit vanished, and I felt calm in that very moment. Calm and at peace, and I felt like this mission was a turning point for me.

* * *

We watched as Koyuki was named the ruler and I couldn't help but feel a little bit proud. Not only is a daimyo my aunt, but she's also a famous actress.

"Okay so now that our aunt is officially the Queen or whatever, what does that make us?" Kovu asked, sipping his beverage.

"A duke and duchess?" I replied, still not sure. "Whatever though, I'll stick to the Kunoichi business." I chuckled.

Koyuki joined us after the ceremony had ended. "In the end, that generator wasn't even fully developed yet." she chuckled.

"So, guess it'll be back to winter soon?" Sakura asked.

"Not really." Koyuki replied. "I have my own idea in mind."

"Let's hear it." Kovu prided.

Koyuki chuckled. "I was thinking of fixing up that generator so that the seasons will pass by normally. And if that works out, the Land of Snow will soon become the Land of Seasons."

"I like it, sounds very nice." I giggled.

"Are you gonna give up acting?" Sakura asked, generally concerned.

"I'd be out of my mind to give it up now." Koyuki rebuked. "Ruling over my homeland and acting, I can do both." she held up her new script and winked at us.

"Bye aunt Koyuki." Kovu and I called, waving to her.

"Oh, and before I forget." she recalled, handing Kovu and me two necklaces that resembled the hex crystal she wore. "I found these just laying out in the old room I shared with my sister, I think she wasn't you to have them."

"They're beautiful." I gasped, holding a crystal with a pink, purple, and lavender hue.

"Thanks aunt Koyuki." Kovu said, slipping the crystal around his neck. His was in silver and white hues.

"Come and visit anytime you'd like." she offered, handing dad a crystal with pink and blue hues.

She walked off but was soon swarmed by little kids wanting her autograph, to which she obliged.

"Oh man, I'm so stupid!" Naruto huffed. "I totally forgot to ask for an autograph."

"Don't worry, I already took care of it." Sasuke informed.

He handed Naruto an envelope, which held an autographed picture of Koyuki visiting Naruto in the hospital and kissing his cheek.

* * *

We set out for the Hidden Leaf a few hours later. As the ship sailed away, I sighed at the land I was leaving behind. The tri-hued hex crystal sat perfectly on my chest, I clutched it tightly.

"_After all these years, I finally know the truth." _I thought. Tears fell from my eyes as the land where my mother once lived faded into the distance. I stayed above deck, just watching the sun set.

I heard footsteps come up from behind me and someone draped a cloak over my bare shoulders. I turned and was met with Sasuke's deep, onyx eyes staring back at me.

"I can't let you freeze out here." he said, his eyes still locked with mine.

I pulled the cloak tighter around me. "Thanks." I replied, looking away.

"What's bothering you Kris?" Sasuke asked, leaning against the ship's railing. "And don't bother lying to me by saying 'It's nothing'."

I chuckled and looked over at him, "Well it's not everyday a girl finds out to a duchess to a land she didn't even know existed." I said.

"Yeah, that is true." Sasuke agreed. "You know the other guys are gonna freak when they hear about that."

"Yeah." I agreed, chuckling. "Choji did say that I kinda resembled Yukie, or Koyuki, a little bit." I reminded. "But, if he starts bowing to me, I'll slap him. This doesn't change anything between the four of us."

"How was it, seeing your mom again?" Sasuke asked, looking at me.

I looked down, "A little weird, at first, then it felt like a dream," I answered, suppressing the tears. "but then I realized she was really there, and I just wanted her to hold me." I shuddered, "And now I know why I have Helena."

Sasuke put his arm around me and I leaned into it, sighing heavily. He stroked hair and whispered, "Everything's okay."

I turned my head and cried softly into his chest. He wrapped both of his arms around me, holding me tightly. "Everything's okay." he repeated.

I looked up into his deep, onyx eyes. Sasuke smiled and wiped the tears from my cheeks. His hand lingered there a while.

Sasuke's face was leaning closer to mine, with only and inch of breathing space between us.

"_What's going on?"_ I thought to myself.

Sasuke's hand moved from my cheek to my hip and his lips crashed onto mine as his eyes closed. I was stunned for a few seconds, processing everything. Then, I closed my eyes and, hesitantly, kissed back.

My heartbeat sounded in my ears as the kiss intensified. Sasuke's mouth opened wider, forcing mine to do the same and his tongue brushed against mine, sending a shiver down my spine. Our lips parted and I found myself panting.

His eyes locked with mine before he sighed. "See ya in the morning." he said. Sasuke walked across the deck and headed to the cabins below deck.

I blinked, _"Did that really just happen?" _I asked.

"_You mean you and Sasuke frenching, yep." _Helena answered. _"Never would I though that Sasuke would be your first kiss." _

Every girl always dreams of her first kiss, even me. But, what happened between Sasuke and I just now, wasn't what I had in mind at all.

Then I got hit with the feeling that from here on out, things were gonna be different.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Naruto**: I was born in Konohagakure, located in the Land of Fire. Last name; Uzumaki, first name; Naruto. They have been known to call me…

**Sakura **and **Kristin**: the Knucklehead Ninja!

**Naruto**: Hey!

**Sakura**: Why are you even talking like that?

**Naruto**: We're meeting Boss Wasabi, I need to learn how to address him.

**Kristin**: Next time: **Mission: Help an Old Friend in the Land of Tea**.


	65. Help an in the Land of Tea

**Mission: Help an Old Friend in the Land of Tea. **

* * *

It's been almost two months since Orochimaru's invasion of the village and things were slowly getting back into swing. But, being a shinobi village, we still had jobs for the ninja to do, and my dad has been given high ranking missions, leaving my team sensei-less and my family minus one.

But, squad seven still had missions to do so Lady Tsunade agreed to let Kovu be on our team for the extra help. That really actually helped us in the long run and my teammates seemed to like the addition.

We met up in front of the Academy to get our mission for the day.

"Morning guys." I greeted my team as my brother and I walked up to them.

"Hey Kristin." Sakura replied, smiling at me.

"Let's go get our mission already!" Naruto voted, loudly.

Kovu rolled his eyes and Sasuke scoffed. "Whatever."

We stood in the room, awaiting Lady Tsunade to give us our mission assignment.

"Where's Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, looking around.

"Some teacher, he's always the last one here." Naruto huffed.

"Was he still at home when you two left?" Sasuke asked, looking at me.

I shook my head. "No, actually." I answered, truthfully. "I checked in his room and he was already gone."

"Kakashi won't be joining you at all on this mission." Lady Tsunade informed, entering the room. Lady Diana followed after, with Negro by her side, and Shizune was behind her, holding TonTon.

"Grandma Tsunade." Naruto greeted, smiling.

"Please don't call me that." Lady Hokage sighed, taking her seat.

"Lady Hokage, what do you mean Kakashi-sensei isn't coming?" Sakura asked.

"As you all know our forces are stretched thin." Diana reminded. "All of the Jōnin have been sent out on other missions, including Kakashi Hatake."

"You five will be on your own." Lady Tsunade told us. She held up a scroll, "It's a B-rank escort mission for someone important."

"Someone important?" Kovu repeated.

"Of course it could develop into an A-rank mission if you run into trouble." Diana added, standing at her mother's right.

"So, who do we escort?" Sasuke asked.

"I don't know." Lady Tsunade answered.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Naruto asked.

"Every four years our neighbor, the Land of Tea, holds a special ceremony at the great Todoroki Shrine." Lady Tsunade informed. "And every time we are asked to escort a runner who will be participating in a race that's part of the ceremony. But the messengers who sent us the request were attacked on the way here."

"So who attacked them?" Kovu asked.

"I'm sorry, but I'm still not following." Sakura added.

"Don't worry about it." Lady Tsunade said. "When you meet Boss Jirōchō, he'll fill you in on the details." she added. "Now get going, they're expecting you in the Land of Tea by the end of the day."

"Got it." we said in unison, and left the room.

We each went home and packed our bags, then met up at the village gate and left for the Land of Tea.

* * *

It took roughly an hour and a half to reach the border of the Land of Tea.

"Anyone hungry?" Naruto asked aloud.

"A little bit." Sakura replied.

"Then let's eat at that teahouse up ahead." Naruto suggested, running to the teahouse.

I sighed. "He never changes." I noted.

"Will he ever?" Sasuke scoffed.

We sat down at a table near the entrance, with Sasuke, me, and Sakura on one side, and Naruto and Kovu on the other. The elderly woman who ran the teahouse served us five cups.

"So what can I get you kids?" she asked, kindly.

"I'll have the sweet bean soup." Naruto answered.

"Same here." Kovu followed.

"We'll have the dumplings please." Sakura added, pointing to her and me.

"What about you Sasuke?" I asked, looking over at him.

"Just rice." he answered.

The woman smiled. "I'll get those right out." she said, walking to the back.

"I at least hope we get some fighting in on this mission." Naruto chuckled.

"Now don't you go starting trouble for us Naruto." I ordered, glaring at him from across the table. "We don't need any extra hassle."

A kid walked up to our table, "Just chilling in the shade, sucking down some sweet bean soup." he noted. "A ninja's life seems pretty cushy."

"What did you say?" Naruto growled.

"Guess you guys don't get much action in the Leaf village." the kid said. "Judging from how out of shape you look."

"And you are?" Kovu asked, raising an eyebrow.

The kid ignored my brother and focused his eyes on Sakura and myself. "Of course I didn't mean you two lovely ladies." he clarified. "I'm Idate Morino and you two cuties are?" he reached and took Sakura's hand and mine, caressing the top.

"Are either of you gonna punch this guy in the nose?" Naruto yelled, standing up.

I took my hand away from Idate's and cleared my throat. "Sorry, we're not interested." I replied, taking Sakura's arm and pulling it away.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled.

Idate scoffed. "Whatever, I was only joking around." he defended. "But the rest of that stuff was true. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a ninja. You'd better leave now or you're done for."

"What was that?!" Naruto yelled.

"Calm down Naruto." I ordered.

"Kris is right, just ignore the punk." Sasuke sighed.

"Don't you have any ninja pride, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, turning to look at him. When Naruto turned back, Idate was gone.

"Where did that brat go?" Kovu asked, standing up.

"He just vanished." Sakura gasped.

The elderly woman returned with our order and placed the ticket on the table.

"Wait why two bills?" Sakura asked, looking at the tickets.

"Well on is yours and the other is your young friend's." the woman answered. "He said you were paying for him."

"Excuse me?" Kovu asked, taking the meal tickets.

"I should've clocked him when I had the chance." Naruto huffed, grabbing his backpack.

"That sly bastard." I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

Sakura paid the meal tickets and we left the teahouse, chasing after Idate. For a young punk, the kid was pretty damn fast. But us five being ninja, we had a slight advantage in the chase, and used that advantage to the best of our ability.

* * *

We caught up with him when he tripped over a tree root and fell into a small ridge.

"Think you could get away from us?" Kovu asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"You have a long way to go before you can compete with us." Sasuke informed.

Idate fell on his knees and apologized for making us pay his bill at the teahouse, claiming all his money had been stolen. Something fell from the tree trunk and Idate rushed to grab it, getting defensive over it.

"You pathetic ninja will never catch me." he taunted, removing his leg warmers. He held one in each hand, "Ready, set, go!" he said, before dropping his leg warmers, that turned out to be leg weights.

Idate used the smoke cover to get a head start and his speed had almost doubled, if not tripled with weights removed, and we couldn't catch him.

"Damn." I panted, placing my hands on my knees.

"We'll never catch him now." Sakura noted, catching her breath.

"Next time I see him, I'll clobber him for sure." Naruto vowed.

"Whatever." Sasuke scoffed.

"We might as well forget it for now and get on with our mission." Kovu suggested, walking ahead of us.

"Who died and made you the leader?" I asked.

Kovu turned to look at me and smiled, "Well, I am the oldest." he reminded. "So that puts me in charge."

I rolled my eyes. "Lady Tsunade didn't specify any single individual to be team leader in dad's absence." I replied, crossing my arms.

Kovu waved me off and continued to walk ahead. The rest of us followed, trying to get our focus back on the mission.

* * *

About forty-five minutes later, we arrived at the address of the client who hired us.

"Thank you all for coming." Jirōchō greeted us.

Naruto stepped forward and bowed slightly. "I offer you my services as a ninja of the Hidden Leaf, which is also the place of my birth. I was raised on Ramen and hard work, and given the family name of Uzumaki. But I am known by all as-"

"The knucklehead." Sasuke cut in, crossing his arms.

"As the knuckled." Naruto repeated. "Hey, that's so not funny!" he whined, but we all got a kick out of it.

"Nice one Sasuke." I whispered, patting his shoulder.

"You haven't changed at all I see." Jirōchō said to Naruto.

Naruto chuckled. "Yeah well, you haven't changed either, big guy."

"Watch it Naruto." Sakura cautioned.

"It's alright." Jirōchō replied. "The boy's got spirit, I like that."

"So now that we're done with greetings, let's get to business." Sasuke voted.

"The Fifth Hokage said you would tell us what you want us to do." Kovu added.

Jirōchō nodded and cleared his throat. "Well, you all know about the great ceremonial race at the Todoroki Shrine every four years, don't you?" he asked.

"Not really." Naruto admitted.

We sat down on our knees and listened to Boss Jirōchō's explanation of the race. It began when a terrible storm, so they placed two jewels at the Todoroki Shrine and the storm ceased. So they continued to do it every four years, first as a rededication, but over time, that changed.

"For years the port has been home to two families, the Wasabi and the Wagarashi, two gambling organizations." Jirōchō said. "Both families wanted control over the town, and that led to disputes, which led to all out fights. The townspeople soon got involved and some were injured, and others worse." he lowered his head, looking down. "So the town's head called a meetings and both families came to an agreement. The control of the town won't be decided by street brawls, but with a competition."

"What kind of competition?" Sakura asked.

"The Todoroki Shrine race." Jirōchō answered. "Four years ago the Wagarashi family beat us last year by hiring a ninja, and we've learned they've done the same this year."

"So that's why you sent word to the Hidden Leaf Village." Kovu deducted.

Jirōchō nodded. "Yes, to level the playing field. But on their way to the Leaf village, the messengers were ambushed." he informed. Jirōchō then bowed to us, "Please, lend us your strength. If we loose again it means the Wagarashi will control this town for four more years."

"Not to worry." Naruto promised. "I'm on the job."

"So, who are we supposed to escort?" Sasuke asked.

"Excellent, so that means you'll take the job." Jirōchō chuckled. He then clapped his hands and someone appeared on the other side of the door.

The wooden door slid open and Idate was on the other side, "Yes boss?" he asked. Idate then looked in our direction and gasped.

"You again!" Naruto yelled.

"So you already know each other? That makes things easier." Jirōchō chuckled.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." I muttered, seeing the glares Idate and Naruto were giving each other.

* * *

We accompanied Idate as he walked through the village, and he and Idate argued the entire time. Sakura and Kovu looked inside one of the shops, leaving Sasuke and me out in the street.

"It's different than the Leaf village." I noted, looking around.

"What was your first clue?" Sasuke asked, sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes, "I'm just saying." I defended, looking at him.

We walked down the street, in step with one another. The shops looked decent for the village's state, but the prices were a little high.

"Huh, with those prices you would think this was a tourist resort or something." I said, picking up a charm that resembled a black panther with bright gold eyes and had silvery whiskers.

"Sorry to charge so much miss." the male shopkeeper apologized. "If I could lower the price, I would, but see, the Wagarashi family sets the prices."

"Oh it's fine, I was just browsing." I replied, smiling. I set the charm back on the table, next to a red tortoise with yellow spots.

Then, three thugs walked in, with smirks on their faces. "Hey old man, we've come to collect the rest of the money you owe Lord Wagarashi." the lead one said, cracking his knuckles.

"Of course, right away." the old man replied, running to the back.

Sasuke and I shot the thugs a look, right as they looked in our direction.

"What are you two kiddies looking at?" asked the second thug, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing of interest." Sasuke answered, pulling me to the side.

The old shopkeeper returned with a wooden box and he handed it to the thug leader. He opened it and scoffed. "This is it?" he asked.

"Well business has been a little slow lately." the old man defended.

"Remember if it weren't for the Wagarashi family, you wouldn't be in business." the lead thug said.

He aimed to punch the shopkeeper, but Sasuke stopped it, just in time. I stood behind the old man.

"Those are Wagarashi men, he shouldn't have done that." the old shopkeeper informed. He moved to stand next to me.

I turned to him and smiled, "Don't worry, Sasuke's gonna be fine." I reassured. "He was the top ranking student in our class."

Sasuke threw the three thugs out into the street and beat all of them, as expected. The three thugs were beaten and bleeding, yet were still making threats. Sasuke cracked his knuckles and the three Wagarashi thugs ran like hell.

"Wow, look at them run." the old man gasped.

I chuckled, "That's Sasuke." I smiled.

The old shopkeeper handed me the panther charm I was admiring earlier, "Here young lady, take it if you want it." he offered. "A token of my thanks for what your friend did."

I took the charm and smiled, "Thank you." I said, smiling.

"So what are young kids like you doing here?" he asked, "You're obviously not local."

"We were hired by Jirōchō of the Wasabi family." Sasuke answered, his hands in his pockets. "To escort his runner for the race tomorrow."

"You'll help him win, right?" the old man asked, enthusiastically.

Sasuke and I exchanged a glance before I answered, "We'll try." I put on a reassuring smile.

"Bless you kids." the old man sighed, smiling.

We made our way back to Jirōchō's house to turn in for the night and get some rest.

* * *

Sakura and I were brushing through our hair, getting ready for bed.

"The Wagarashi seem like tyrants if you ask me." Sakura said, smoothing out her cherry red nightgown.

"I agree with you there." I replied, brushing through my hair.

"I wonder what this race is gonna be like tomorrow." Sakura pondered.

I nodded, "We won't know until then anyway, so might as well not worry." I told her, pulling my hair up.

"I guess." Sakura sighed. "Well goodnight Kris."

"Night." I replied.

I overlooked myself in the mirror and exhaled deeply. I had a feeling that this mission was gonna be a whole hell of a lot more complicated than it sounded.

* * *

We had to wake up early because the race started at sunrise. We waited at the starting point and everyone in the village showed up, cheering.

"So what kind of race is this anyway?" Naruto asked, groggily.

"The traditional kind." I answered. "You know, it has a start and a finish."

Sakura pulled out a map of the race course and explained it to Naruto. It was actually very simple, the port was the starting point, then we sailed to the Modoroki Shrine to pick up the jewels, and the first to make it to the Todoroki Shrine is the winner.

"But other than the basic rules, anything goes I guess." I reminded, looking around.

"Shortcuts, dirty tricks, basically anything." Kovu listed.

"That's why hiring ninja to help out the runners is okay." Sasuke added.

"Okay, so where are the ninja that the other team hired?" Naruto asked.

"Probably keeping a low profile." I answered. "So no fooling around Naruto."

"I get it Kris." Naruto groaned.

"Whatever you guys plan on doing, just stay away from me." Idate ordered. "I have a race to win and I don't want you loser ninja getting in my way."

I sighed, _"Off to a nice start." _I thought, sarcastically.

A voice over the intercom system announced the start of the race, introducing bother runners; Idate Morino for the Wasabi and Fukusuke Hikyakuya for the Wagarashi. The gates to the pier opened the runners took off.

What threw my team and I for a loop is that Idate took off in another direction.

"What is that idiot kid doing?" Sasuke wondered as we chased after him.

"Hey Idate!" Sakura and I called.

"Where are you going?" Kovu asked.

"You're going the wrong way!" Naruto called.

Yet Idate seemed to be ignoring us. What the hell did we get ourselves into?

* * *

**Next time…**

**Naruto**: Where is this bozo going?

**Sakura**: Wherever he's going, he's moving at incredibly high speeds.

**Kovu**: This kid is one speed demon, that's for sure.

**Naruto**: The race has just started and his opponent is already on the boat.

**Kristin**: Well will still have our mission, so c'mon guys!

**Helena**: Next time: **The Race is On! Trouble on the High Seas! **

**Sasuke**: I think I know where the other hired ninja are.


	66. Trouble on the High Seas

**The Race is On! Trouble on the High Seas! **

* * *

The gates to the pier opened the runners took off.

What threw my team and I for a loop is that Idate took off in another direction.

"What is that idiot kid doing?" Sasuke wondered as we chased after him.

"Hey Idate!" Sakura and I called.

"Where are you going?" Kovu asked.

"You're going the wrong way!" Naruto called.

Yet Idate seemed to be ignoring us. What the hell did we get ourselves into?

"Where are you going you idiot?" Naruto asked. "You've gotta turn around!"

"There's no way I'm turning around." Idate rebuked, running off ahead.

I rolled my eyes, "Well, we're off to a nice start." I muttered.

* * *

As we followed Idate, he was leading us through a thick forest.

"He won't be able to win now this far from the port." Sakura noted.

"I'm not so sure about that." Sasuke rebuked. "Maybe he was already planning to go this way from the very start."

"Bu why?" I asked, looking over at him.

"We'll find out soon, I hope." Kovu sighed.

We continued following Idate, leaping the tree branches while he ran the trail. As we followed, the forest transitioned into a canyon, yet Idate and Naruto didn't notice.

"This is genjutsu." I noted.

"I highly doubt Naruto and Idate have noticed it yet." Kovu said, shaking his head.

Sakura helped out Naruto and released the genjutsu on him, and somehow Idate released it on his own. But he noticed it to late and fell off the side of the canyon side.

* * *

Kovu and Sasuke tied a rope to Naruto and he caught Idate as he fell, and we held to rope to pull him up, which was tougher than it sounded.

"Someone set up one genjutsu on top of another one." Sasuke noted.

"That's not very easy to pull off." Kovu added.

"It must've been the other ninja that the Wagarashi family hired." I guessed.

It was a little difficult to pull up Idate and Naruto since they were struggling a little bit, arguing. But, with the four of us pulling together, we managed to get them back on the trail.

"Look, I didn't need your help you know." Idate huffed.

"What the hell kind of gratitude is that?" Naruto screeched. "How 'bout a little thanks for saving your ass!"

"You only saved me because you're bound to by duty." Idate pointed out. "There's no need for me to thank you."

"_Man, this guy really is a jackass." _I thought, rolling my eyes. _"Honestly, Tazuna was better and more grateful than this kid. He's so arrogant."_

"He is right." Sasuke agreed. He then stepped up to Idate, "But if you don't wanna wind up dead, then stick close to us."

Idate huffed and turned his back on us.

"What about the port?" Kovu asked. "How are we going to get to Nagi Island?"

"During this time of year there are seasonal storms." Idate informed. "At the start of the race I saw the clouds moving towards us. There's another port up north that's a straight shot to Nagi Island."

"So going this way is actually faster?" I asked.

"That's right." Idate answered, smiling.

* * *

Soon we came across the ocean shore where a small boat was tied up. From where we stood we could see Nagi Island across the ocean, along with the dark storm clouds overhead.

"There's the halfway point." Idate informed. "We should make it there in about an hour. Just hold on a sec."

Idate ran to the shack nearby and knocked on the front door. The old man packed up the boat and gave us the okay to use it.

"I may be the underdog, but you're looking at the right hand man of the Wasabi." Idate said. "I won't loose this race, promise."

And on that note, we set sail towards Nagi Island. The winds were strong, and I kept my guard up because I had a feeling we would be running into those other hired ninja again, this time in a face to face confrontation.

* * *

I tightened the rope around the center mast, pulling the sail tight so it could catch all the wind, which would increase our speed.

"Hey Kristin." Sakura whispered, walking over to me. "Have you noticed something different about Idate?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Well he does seem pretty fast for his age." I answered, looking at Idate, who was staring out at the ocean ahead.

"Do you think he had training in one of the Hidden Villages?" Sakura asked.

"C'mon, no way." Naruto cut in. "He wouldn't make it as a ninja."

"Says the reigning King of the Dumbasses!" Sakura and I reminded, glaring at Naruto.

"Hey, I did make it to the final rounds of the Chūnin Exams." he reminded, chuckling.

"There is no way a twerp like you made it to the final rounds of the Chūnin Exams." Idate rebuked.

"I did so!" Naruto yelled. "And if it hadn't been interrupted in the middle, I could've won the whole thing and become a Chūnin."

"Your proctor must've been a real pushover to allow a loser like you to make it to the final rounds." Idate spat. "The Chūnin Exam must've lowered its standards."

Sakura chuckled. "I knew it."

"Yeah, Idate Morino." Sasuke repeated. "Now it makes sense."

"Morino." I muttered. "Yeah, the proctor for the first exam had the same surname."

* * *

{Flashback}

Then a cloud of smoke filled the area, and a deep voice came from it. "Alright you baby faced degenerates, pipe down and listen up!" he ordered. He was a tall man with two scars on his face. "It's time to begin, I'm Ibiki Morino, your proctor. And starting right now, your worst enemy."

Okay, let the Chūnin Exams begin.

Ibiki cracked a smirk. "As for the rest of you, here are the rules. There will be no fighting between the candidates without the permission of the proctor. Even then, the use of fatal force is absolutely prohibited." his eyes went cold. "Anyone of you who screw with me will be disqualified on the spot."

I gulped. This proctor officially creeped me out, making the hair on my neck stand on end.

{End Flashback}

* * *

"Ibiki Morino." I said. "That was his name."

"What, big brother? He's alive?" Idate asked, shocked.

"Of course he is." Naruto answered. "He threw a curveball at us the tenth question in."

Idate seemed almost shocked about Ibiki, but that shock turned to slight fear when an arrow came out of nowhere.

"An ambush." Sasuke and Kovu said in unison.

We looked behind us and saw another ship approaching us. The three ninja seemed oddly familiar to me, but I couldn't place where right off the bat. But, they did keep shooting arrows at us.

"Sakura, you and Kovu protect Idate." Sasuke told her. "Kristin, Naruto, and I will take these guys on."

"Shouldn't we just run?" Sakura asked.

One of the ninja shot another round of arrows at us, this times with ropes attached, bringing their boat closer to ours.

"Yeah, think it's a little too late for that." I noted.

"Work on these ropes, Kris and I will cover you." Sasuke told Naruto.

We ran to the back of the boat, ready to fight. "At times like this, it comes in handy that Water-Style is my main nature." I chuckled.

"Just make sure that it doesn't counteract my Fire-Style." Sasuke replied.

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever." I scoffed.

Naruto cut the ropes, but clones of the shinobi appeared on the boat, in a swarm, wearing Amegakure headbands. But, Naruto being who he is, fought them, clone for clone. In the midst of the fight, I discovered them to be water clones.

"Now this is my kind of fight." I chuckled, pulling out senbon from my ninja pouch. "Take this!" I jumped up and tossed my senbon, destroying five clones at once.

"Nice one sis." Kovu complemented, staying by Idate's side.

I smiled, "And I'm only getting started." I weaved the signs, Dog → Horse → Monkey → Ram, "Water Style: Water Beast."

The water from the destroyed clones then formed into a wolf-like creature made entirely of water. It attacked a few more of the Ame clones.

But then, it started raining black liquid. The black liquid made contact with my water beast and somehow, the two liquids didn't mix and my water jutsu was destroyed.

"What is this stuff?" Kovu asked, wiping the black liquid from his face.

"I think it's oil." Sakura answered.

"_Oil?" _I thought, then gasped. I turned to Sasuke, who was forming a tiger seal. "Sasuke no!" I called, before he could execute the fire jutsu. "You use that, you'll kill us all."

But one of the Ame ninja fired a flame tipped arrow, and soon all the oil was ignited.

"Damn." I cursed. I looked back at Idate, who seemed frozen, a look a fear in his eyes.

I jumped over the boat side and gathered up my chakra, jumping into the air. I wove the signs Horse-Rat-Monkey-Dog-Ram "Water Style: Shark Rain!" thousands of miniature sharks attacked the fire spreading throughout the small boat.

"Kristin, behind you!" Sasuke warned.

I turned back, but a second too late. I was clocked in the face and crashed into the boat, my head slamming against the wood.

"Kristin!" Sakura screamed.

I shook off the dizziness and saw the Ame ninja coming towards me, but a kunai flew from the side and destroyed the water clone. I could feel blood running down the side of my face.

Sakura helped me to my feet. "You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." I answered, taking the kunai knife from the floor. "We have to get out of here, Sasuke!" I looked in his direction, and he locked eyes with me. "The fire's too strong, I can't put it out, what do we do?"

"Jump overboard." he answered. "We'll just have to swim to the port at Nagi Island."

"Sounds good." Sakura agreed. She turned to Idate, "Can you swim?"

"Of course I can." Idate answered.

"Good, then let's go. We can use the smoke as cover." Kovu suggested. "It's our best option of escaping without those jerks following."

"No way! You just wanna use me as a decoy so you can escape!" Idate accused. "I don't trust ninja!"

"We would never use you as a decoy!" Naruto reassured.

"You can trust us Idate." Kovu added.

One of the ninja clones came up from the water and threw a kunai knife at Idate, but Sakura took the hit instead.

"Sakura." Kovu gasped.

I Ame ninja came aboard. I stood protectively in front of Kovu, Sakura, and Idate, readying myself. I executed the sequence Tiger-Horse-Rat-Ram, "Fire Style: Striking Salamandra!" a small dragon erupted from one of the flames and struck the clone, destroying it.

"We have to jump, otherwise we're all dead!" I called.

"Please Idate, you can trust us." Sakura reassured. "We promise, we won't let anything happen to you."

"As you can plainly see, we're not exactly a normal team." Kovu added.

Finally, Idate caved. "Alright." he sighed. He dove in first, followed by the rest of us. We stayed back a little ways, to make sure the Ame ninja didn't follow us.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Naruto**: It doesn't matter what you were like before.

**Kovu**: That's all water under the bridge. You have a new life now.

**Kristin**: Boss Jirōchō believes in you Idate, as does the entire Wasabi family.

**Sakura**: If you win this race, you'll be saving the town the Wagarashi.

**Kristin**: Next time: **Run Idate, Run! Nagi Island Awaits! **


	67. Nagi Island Awaits

**Run Idate, Run! Nagi Island Awaits! **

* * *

We continued to swim towards Nagi Island.

"How's your wound Sakura?" Kovu asked, looking over at her.

"It's fine, but that's the least of our worries." Sakura answered.

"You mean those Rain Village ninja." Sasuke concluded.

"Those wimps? We can handle them no problem." Naruto chuckled.

"I was actually talking about Idate." Sakura corrected. "Those guys could be after him at this very moment."

"I don't think so." I rebuked. "Idate got a pretty decent head start on us, and I didn't see any of those guys follow him."

We halted our swimming a treaded water.

"Man, he could be in danger." Naruto realized.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." I reminded. "We have to get to Nagi Island, and fast."

Naruto suddenly fell under the water, almost like he was dragged.

"This is no time to be fooling around Naruto." Sakura berated.

"I think our friends from Amegakure are back." I guessed.

Sasuke dove under the water after Naruto, with Sakura following him. Kovu and I looked at each other.

"Sis, I think we need to." he said, seriously.

"Why?" I asked. "Shouldn't that be for someone a bit stronger? Because, I've faced these guys before, during the Chūnin Exams."

I finally realized where I had run into these guys before, they were the first people to attack my team and I in the Forest of Death.

* * *

{Flashback}

The transformation jutsu broke and the 'Naruto' turned out to be a Hidden Rain ninja. "So what, I'm still gonna take your scroll." he said. "Now hand it over, or else."

Sakura and I whipped out our own kunai and were ready to fight.

"So which one of you weaklings have it?" asked the Ame ninja. When we didn't answer, he added, "Fine, then I guess I'll have to take you both out." and he charged for us.

Sasuke, Sakura, and I stood ready. Let the survival part begin.

The Ame ninja came at us, and we dodged last second. Sasuke jumped in the air and did a series of hand signs, Rat-Tiger-Dog-Ox-Rabbit-Tiger.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu." he yelled, firing small fireballs at the Ame ninja.

Then the two clashed kunai knives in mid air, right above Sakura and myself. The Ame ninja tried to escape, but Sasuke followed him, keeping a close tail.

"Come on, he might need backup." I said to Sakura.

"Right." she replied, nodding.

We both trailed after Sasuke, and when we came across the battle, the Ame ninja was behind him. But Naruto showed up just in time, to toss Sasuke a kunai knife, which he flung at the Ame ninja with his foot. As the Ame ninja dodged, Sasuke stabbed his shoulder with another kunai.

"Nice shot Sasuke!" Sakura and I called.

"Don't just stand there you two, chances are this guy's not alone." Sasuke said. "Watch out, the others could strike at any second." Sasuke pulled the kunai knife from the Ame ninja's shoulder, blood dripped from the wound.

"I wish. I came alone in hopes not to arouse suspicion." he said, covering his wound. "Big mistake." then he turned around and retreated.

{End Flashback}

* * *

"You mean these are the same guys who tried to take your scrolls at the Chūnin Exams?" Kovu asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, so now you know what I mean." I replied. "if we transform, we'll just be wasting chakra. Besides, I have the advantage here." I motioned all around me.

"Whatever you say, little sister." Kovu sighed.

We both dove under the surface and swam towards the rest of my team. But, we ended up swimming right into a trap. A couple of water clones swam behind me and held on tightly, basically trying to drown me. I tried to break free, but had no luck.

Naruto had created ten Shadow Clones and they swam to the bottom of the ocean, standing on a submerged rock formation. The clones stood in a circle and formed small spheres of chakra in their hands, creating a whirlpool.

"_What the hell?" _I thought, wide eyed. _"What jutsu is that?" _

The whirlpool spun wildly, sucking us all up in it. The Ame ninja couldn't stand the pressure and that gave us the chance to escape. As Sakura and I swam away, I saw her eyes close and her body fell limp.

Kovu, in his second stage form, swam to her rescue and put her on his back, transforming to stage three. We all swam away from the whirlpool and broke the surface, gasping for air.

"That was close." I gasped. "Nice thinking Naruto."

"Thanks Kris, finally that training I did with the Pervy Sage paid off." Naruto chuckled.

"C'mon, let's get to the island, Idate probably needs our help." Sasuke suggested.

"He may not be the only one." Helgo added, swimming ahead, Sakura unconscious on his back.

* * *

We all swam towards Nagi Island, hoping that Idate would be okay once we found him. Soon we made to shallow waters and walked ashore. I helped Sakura from Helgo's back as he shook out his fur. Then, he regressed back to Kovu.

"Okay, I don't think I'll be needing a bath anytime soon." Kovu chuckled.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, remember that's salt water." I reminded.

Kovu glared at me.

"Enough fooling around, we need to find Idate." Sasuke suggested.

"Right, let's get going." Sakura agreed.

"You sure you're okay?" I asked her, helping her stand.

Sakura nodded and smiled. "I'm fine Kris, don't worry about me." she answered, walking ahead.

"_Whatever you say, Sakura." _I thought, blinking. "C'mon Naruto, get up off your lazy ass!" I called behind me.

"Coming." I heard him murmur.

* * *

Rain started pouring down over us and we came to the rocky shore, and I saw ahead a tall man holding an umbrella, and he was staring down at Idate.

"Up there guys, it may be another ninja the Wagarashi hired!" I noted.

"Then let's go help him." Naruto voted. "Idate!"

The ninja standing near Idate had green hair, purple eyes, and wore a dark purple and white jumpsuit, with an Amegakure headband.

Sakura ran to Idate's side while the rest of us faced the Amegakure ninja. From what I could tell, he was defiantly stronger than that team we ran into earlier, so he was probably of Chūnin rank, at least. Worst case scenario he would be a Jōnin, and that would be bad for us.

"Looks like Oboro, Kagari, and Mubi weren't up to the job of defeating you little brats." he chuckled. "So in a test of genin, looks like Leaf Village genin are the stronger ones."

We charged in to fight him, but he got the drop on us. He waved his umbrella, and the rainwater soon collapsed on us, like a sudden pull of gravity.

"Since you're just genin, I don't need to waste any of my chakra on you." the Ame ninja chuckled. "So I'll give you what I gave Idate." he landed on the ground and held out senbon.

"Senbon?" I questioned.

The Ame ninja threw the senbon at us, and two needles each pieced us.

"And those senbon have a deadly poison." the ninja informed. "No matter how strong you may be, you all already have one foot in the grave."

"Yeah, we've heard that before." Naruto grunted.

Then, we heard the faint sounds of cheering. The Ame ninja looked up at the sky, "Well looks like Fukusuke has made it to Modoroki Shrine already." and on that note he left us alone.

"He said these senbon are coated with poison?" Kovu asked, his eyelids drooping.

I pulled the two needles from my upper arm, flinching. "Yeah, so we need to act fast."

I crawled over to my brother and slapped his cheek, "Stay awake you idiot." I ordered.

"Here, give him this." Sakura said, handing me two small pills. "Give him one and you take the other."

"Thanks Sakura." I replied, smiling.

I popped one of the pills and swallowed it easily. I then tilted my brother's head up and placed the pill in his mouth, and helped him swallow it. He coughed a couple of times before taking a deep breath.

"Where did you get these Sakura?" Naruto asked, after swallowing one of the pills.

"Lady Tsunade gave them to me just before we left." Sakura answered.

"Good ol Grandma Tsunade." Naruto chuckled.

Sakura gave Idate one of the pills. "There, that should help." she sighed.

"But we can't just leave him out here in the rain either." I reminded. "We need to get him someplace warm."

* * *

We walked a couple miles from the shore and found a cave and quickly started a fire.

"Okay Sakura, those pills you gave us may have counteracted the poison from the needles, but there's still the actual wounds to tend to." I told her.

I opened up my duffle bag and pulled out a deerskin pouch with a symbol of a circle with a wavy pattern on the inside, stitched in gold thread.

"Where'd you get that Kris?" Naruto asked. "And what's in it?"

I sighed. "Shikamaru gave it to me before I left." I answered, "It has a few medical supplies."

* * *

{Flashback}

I pulled out a few sets of clothes for the mission, setting them off to the side. Someone knocked at my bedroom door.

"Sissy, you're lover's here." Kallera said, in a sing-song voice before opening my bedroom door.

"Really Kal, when will you give it a rest?" I asked, turning to face her.

"Never." Kallera replied, walking back to her room, leaving Shikamaru standing confused in my doorway.

"Does she do that every time?" he asked, walking into my room.

"Sadly, yes." I answered, "Be glad you're an only child."

Shikamaru chuckled. "I am, trust me."

I smiled, "So what's up?" I asked. "Whatever it is though, make it fast, I have a mission."

"Well, I just got back from one, and wanted to give you this." Shikamaru dropped a small deerskin pouch on my bed. "It could help you on your mission."

I picked up the pouch and overlooked it, "It's beautiful." I muttered. I lifted the flap and looked inside. The ouch contained some bandages, a small tube of ointment, a stitching kit, small vials of pain killers and a few small syringes and needle packets.

I turned to Shikamaru and smiled, "Thank you, you're right this could be helpful." I chuckled, setting the pouch on my bed.

"Yeah considering how every mission you come back from, there's always some injury involved." Shikamaru reminded.

I set my clothes on top of my sleeping materials and placed the pouch on top of my clothes. "Yeah, and this mission I was just assigned is a B-rank." I told him. "And has the chance to become an A-rank."

"Is Kakashi-sensei going with you?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No, dad's on another mission." I answered, "But Kovu's coming with us."

"So who's gonna watch your sister?" Shikamaru asked me.

"She's staying with Iris and Taio." I answered, zipping up my duffle.

I turned back to him and that's when I noticed a tear in his jacket and a bandage on his upper arm. "What the hell happened?" I asked, taking a closer look.

"Enemy snuck up on me, it's just a scratch." Shikamaru answered.

I pulled his arm towards me and rolled up his torn jacket sleeve, revealing a thick roll of bandage around his upper arm, with a thick line of blood running horizontally through the center. "Shikamaru, that's more than just a scratch." I pointed out. "Have you seen the medical corp.?" I asked.

He shook his head, "It's not that bad." he defended.

"Not that bad?" I repeated. "When did you get back?"

"About half an hour ago, give or take." he answered.

"So you haven't even reported in yet?" I asked.

"Ino ran the report up to Lady Fifth." Shikamaru answered. "I just thought I'd see how you were doing. And to drop the medical supplies off."

I sighed. "Well, my team and I are expected in the Land of Tea by the end of the day." I informed. "So I should get going." I slung my duffle bag strap across my chest and adjusted it. "Please let Lady Diana take care of that wound."

"I already told you, I'm fine." he repeated.

"For me?" I begged. "Just do it for me. So, in the back of my mind, I won't be worrying about you."

Shikamaru sighed. "Fine, if it means that much, I'll see Diana."

I smiled. "Thank you." I wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him.

"Be careful." he whispered, rubbing my back.

"I will." I whispered back, laying my head on his shoulder. I pulled away and sighed, "I'll see ya when I get back. While I'm gone, get that wound checked out." I walked past him and headed out of my room.

"What's your mission?" Shikamaru asked me.

"A simple escort mission, B-rank, but we still have to meet with our client to learn more." I answered, turning back to look at him. "Lady Hokage said it had a possibility to turn A-rank, should we run into trouble." I added. "And trouble always seems to find us."

"Then that medical pouch should come in handy." Shikamaru pointed out.

I nodded. "Thanks again. See ya." I walked out of my room and headed out with my brother.

{End Flashback}

* * *

I cleaned off Idate's wounds and bound them, and then packed up all the medical supplies. Idate's eyes opened slowly and he let our a small groan.

"He's waking up guys." I informed.

Idate then shot up. "Where is he? Where's Aoi?" he asked.

"He's gone now." Sasuke answered. "So that's that character's name, Aoi?"

"Do you know him from somewhere Idate?" Kovu asked.

"He was an old sensei I knew." Idate answered. "Back in my Leaf village days."

"You were in the Leaf village?" Naruto asked.

"After he, Aoi, betrayed the Leaf, he became a Jōnin for the Village Hidden in the Rain." Idate informed. He closed his eyes and grunted. "Damn, all that training, all for nothing."

"You're giving up kinda easy, aren't ya." Naruto pointed out. "That's no way for a Leaf ninja to talk."

Idate scoffed. "I haven't even thought of the Leaf since the day I walked away from it."

"Walked away?" Sakura and I repeated in unison.

Idate explained that it hit him hard when he failed his first Chūnin Exam. Aoi, who was apparently a Jōnin of Konohagakure, told him of another way to become a Chūnin besides taking the exam, which ended up being a lie. Aoi asked him for two items, that were held in high lockdown in the village; the Scroll of Sealing and the Blade of the Thunder Spirit. Aoi had forced him to steal those artifacts, and that's where Idate learned not to trust anyone, especially ninja.

"I haven't thought about the Leaf since that day." Idate sighed, looking down. "Nothing I do ever goes right. Boss Jirōchō, he knew I was no good, yet he still put his faith in me. And now look at what I've done." tears fell from his eyes. "I've never been of any use to anyone. Everything I do goes wrong. Aoi said it and he was right, I am better off dead."

"Stop it!" Naruto yelled. "You just said it yourself, there's still one person who believes in you! One person is enough, that's all anyone needs." he added, staring down at Idate. "Who says this race is over? You have no way of knowing how this race is gonna turn out."

Naruto pulled Idate to his feet, even though Idate was still too weak to move. Idate was still considering giving up, yet Naruto rebuffed him.

"C'mon, time to show them what you've got!" Naruto ordered.

"I'll do it, but I'll need your help, Naruto." Idate said.

Naruto smiled and helped Idate onto his back. Then Naruto ran out of the cave, making his way to Modoroki Shrine.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Naruto**: What is it with creeps like this? It's bad enough they try to kill us, but they have to yap a lot while doing it.

**Kovu**: None of that matters now. Jirōchō is counting on Idate, so we need to get him to that shrine.

**Kristin**: Yeah, it doesn't matter that Aoi is an Amegakure Jōnin.

**Sakura**: Hell, we've faced worse.

**Naruto**: So let's get a move on!

**Kristin**: Next time: **A Fierce Battle of Rolling Thunder! **


	68. A Fierce Battle

**A Fierce Battle of Rolling Thunder!**

* * *

The rain continued to pour down outside, though it was slowly dying down to a mere sprinkle. We followed Naruto and Idate to Modoroki Shrine, but it was proving to be a bit difficult.

"Okay how does he bounce back that fast?" Kovu asked as we ran.

"It's Naruto." I answered. "I've been on a team with him for almost a year now, and I still don't know hoe he does half the things he does."

The stairway leading up to the shrine was steep and high. I gaped, _"You have got to be kidding me." _I thought, panting.

The stairway however, didn't seem to intimidate Naruto. With a big grin on his face, Naruto ran up the stairs, Idate still on his back.

"How does he do it?" Sakura panted.

"Well, no one accused the kid of not having any energy." Sasuke noted.

"No kidding." I agreed, panting.

* * *

After catching our breath, we ran up the stairs, following Naruto. The distance was fair between us, but we finally made it to the top.

I collapsed on my knees, panting. "Okay, who knew this race would be such a workout." I panted.

"No kidding, my legs feel like jelly." Sakura agreed.

"I can't have you guys running the whole race for me." Idate told us. "I have to win on my own two feet, or else, I haven't won at all."

Idate ran to the stone and picked up the second jewel, placing it in a small bag.

"Looks like he's back in the race." Kovu chuckled, helping Sakura to her feet.

"Meaning, we're back in business." Sasuke said, pulling me to my feet. "Let's get going."

"Right." Sakura and I agreed.

* * *

We came to a wooden bridge and saw the Ame Jōnin from earlier, Aoi, holding a yellow blade near Idate.

"Wait a minute, what is that?" Kovu asked.

"I think that's the Blade of the Thunder Spirit." I answered. "The legendary sword that was wielded by Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage of the Leaf Village."

I remember reading about it in class at the Academy once, when we were studying the history of the village and the past Hokage that ruled. Even though Tobirama was renowned as a Water-Style master, the sword itself had many uses that involved its ability to manipulate lightning. Being made of concentrated lightning, once making contact with the enemy, it would give them a strong electrical shock capable of incapacitating them afterward. The sword was capable of producing electrical rings of energy that can suspend the enemy in mid-air while continuously shocking them. The wielder of the blade can use this to throw the enemy a good distance away. Defensively, the blade can channel its electrical properties in mid-air, to block incoming attacks, easily able to cut through any solid object, but also through chakra-based substances as well.

"We have to be smart about this." I said. "If go at him as a team, we can win."

"Sounds like a good plan to me." Sakura agreed. "We learned the teamwork lesson the hard way."

"We also need to make sure Idate makes it to the finish line." Kovu reminded. "So let's get Aoi out of the way."

Just as Aoi was about to land a finishing blow on Idate, we threw kunai knives to block the blade.

"Idate, you alright?" Sakura asked.

"Nice timing you guys." Naruto said.

"Someone has to save your ass remember?" I chuckled. "That's what a teammate is for."

"Just don't sweat it Naruto." Sasuke said. "Sit back and leave this clown to me."

Naruto chuckled. "This clown is tougher than he looks."

"It really doesn't matter how many of you come at me." Aoi scoffed. "I am Aoi of Amegakure, and I wield the Blade of the Thunder Spirit."

"Is that so?" Sasuke questioned, activating his Sharingan. "The Blade of the Thunder Spirit against my Chidori." the lightning chakra pulsated in his hand, "Let's see which is stronger."

Sasuke charged forward and aimed his Chidori right at the blade, but it didn't do much at all. Aoi was strong when wielding it, and Sasuke couldn't get an attack through. Then, Aoi hit a nerve when he taunted Sasuke about him not being worthy of his family name. with another swing of the blade, Sasuke went down.

"Run you guys!" Idate called. "He won't be merciful, he'll kill you."

"We're not gonna run Idate!" Kovu snapped.

"We swore to protect you" Sakura added. "You can trust us, Idate."

"How cute." Aoi chuckled. "Idate and his little friends. Prepare to start your journey, to the afterlife."

I readied my stance so I could attack. But Sasuke stood up in front of me.

"Take it back." Sasuke ordered. "Take back what you said." he activated his Chidori once more, "I am Sasuke of the Leaf Village, the last of the Uchiha!"

He charged forward, his Chidori making full contact with the Blade of the Thunder Spirit. The clash of the two Lightning-Style attacks created a bright light, blinding us temporarily.

"_Sasuke." _I thought, shielding my eyes from the intense light.

A scream caught my attention and I looked up to see Sasuke being electrocuted by the Blade of the Thunder Spirit and the lightning was actually encircling him, holding him in mid air. Sasuke was screaming in pain, and once his body fell limp, Aoi tossed him over onto the wooden bridge.

"Sasuke!" I called. I whipped out one of my 'Element Summoning Scrolls' and unsealed it, jumping up into the air. I executed the sequence Ram → Monkey → Horse → Dog, "Lightning Style: Lightning Beast!" I slammed my hand down on the scroll and a wolf created entirely of electrical chakra shot from the scroll and bit down on the blade Aoi held.

I slid by him to check on Sasuke, who was unconscious. "Sasuke. Sasuke!" I tapped his shoulders and there was no response.

"That's a long way down." Aoi noted, slicing through my Lightning Beast. "Enjoy your trip to the bottom of the sea."

"No, leave them alone!" Idate yelled, but Aoi just swiped him with the Blade of the Thunder Spirit, sending him skidding towards Sakura and Kovu.

Then, Aoi cut through one of the ropes supporting the bridge. Sasuke's body slid down and I grabbed hold of his wrist gripping it tightly. I activated my seal to stage two and used my claws to grip onto the stone.

"Hang on Sasuke, just hang on." I pleaded, gripping his arm tightly.

"_Okay Kris, think of something." _I thought, _"If you slip up now, you and Sasuke are gonna bite the big one."_

I heard Aoi chuckle and looked up to see him staring down at me. "So the rumors were true, about Kakashi's children. Good to know." he sung the blade and the tip nicked my hand, making me loose my grip on the stone.

I felt the wind rush past me as Sasuke and I were falling down the deep chasm. My hand was still gripping his wrist tightly and I could feel the seal slowly receding and watched as the crimson marks faded my from my arm.

"_Grandpa, help me." _I begged, closing my eyes and waiting for the sound of bodies splashing in the water.

* * *

"Kristin! Kristin!" Naruto yelled, his voice echoing in my ears. And since I could hear, it meant I was still alive.

I felt the stone under my cheek and slowly sat up. My entire body was sore and I could feel places on my body where bruises were bound to form.

"Kristin answer me!" Naruto called down.

I held my hand up, waving, "I'm alive knucklehead." I replied.

"Don't worry I'll have you and Sasuke up here in no time." he said.

"You jackass! We don't have time for that!" I berated. "You guys have to get Idate to the finish line!"

"But what about you and Sasuke?" Sakura asked.

"We'll be fine!" I answered. "We'll meet you at the finish line, promise! Now get going!"

Since the bridge was only being supported by one more rope, Idate gripped a section and once Naruto, Sakura, and Kovu were hanging on, Kovu cut the rope and the four swung to the other side of the chasm.

Of course they shot a little short and were about to crash into the stone, but thanks to Kovu's quick thinking, were spared that injury. He quickly transformed into Helgo and ran up the side and jumped onto the ledge. Idate and Naruto jumped off his back and ran ahead.

"I promise we'll catch up!" I yelled, waving at them.

"You better, little sister." Helgo called back.

Sakura waved at me before Helgo bounded off.

* * *

I sighed in relief and went to check on Sasuke. I carefully tapped his shoulders to get a response.

"Sasuke, c'mon wake up." I pleaded, shaking his arm. "Please Sasuke, wake up." I shook his arm, "Damnit Sasuke, wake up!"

I rolled him over on his back and felt for a pulse. There was one there, but faintly. _"C'mon Sasuke." _I tilted his neck up and opened his mouth.

I placed my lips over his and gave him two quick breaths. Sasuke coughed a couple times before his eyes fluttered open.

"Kristin?" he questioned.

I nodded, "Yeah, I'm here." I helped him sit up and rubbed his shoulder. "You ok?"

"I will be." he grunted.

I helped him to his feet and slung his arm around my neck. "Well, I told Sakura we would meet her and the others at the finish line." I informed, letting him rest against the chasm side.

"So how are we gonna get there with the busted bridge?" Sasuke asked.

I pointed to myself, "Wolf demon remember?" I chuckled. "I'll just climb down this chasm side and climb up the other. Once we get to the other side, I'll make a run for it."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow while I just giggled. I activated my seal and transformed into Helena.

"Hop on." I ordered, motioning with my head.

Sasuke climbed onto my back and gripped the fur on my neck. I carefully jumped from the ledge we were on and skidded down the chasm side, sending chakra to my paws to get better traction.

I landed near the river's edge and ran across the surface, making it to the other side in seconds.

"Now what?" Sasuke asked, fisting my neck fur.

I sighed. "Now the hard part." I answered. "Climbing up the wall."

"Can you make it? Without falling?" Sasuke rubbed the side of my neck.

"Just hang on tight." I ordered, sending chakra to my paws again.

I broke off in a running start and climbed up the chasm wall, and I could feel Sasuke fisting my fur tightly. I jumped onto the ledge and caught my breath.

"You alright Sasuke?" I asked, looking back at him.

"Yeah." he answered. "Thanks Kris." he leaned down and kissed my cheek, rubbing my fur.

I shook my head. "Alright, let's go regroup with the rest of the team." I bolted down the trail, running as fast as I could.

* * *

The sounds of cheering caught my ears and I saw a crowd of people surrounding the finish line.

"Naruto!" I called, running up to him.

"He won!." Naruto chuckled.

"Isn't it amazing?" Sakura sighed. "He accomplished what he wanted most."

"He's a great kid." Kovu added.

I nodded. "Way to go Idate."

Idate stood on a podium and was announced the winner of the race, and the crowd erupted into cheers. Kovu and I roared and howled in excitement.

"Hold it." said the Wagarashi family head. "We have proof that Idate rode on the back of a hired ninja for part of the race. A clear violation of the rules." he pulled out a photograph that showed Idate on Naruto's back.

"With this rule violate, Idate Morino is disqualified." the feudal lord's minister announced. "Since the rules say a runner must make it to the shrine with his own strength."

"There is no such rule." argued the Land of Tea's feudal lord. "If the Wasabi family were to win this race, it would mean an end to the bribes you've been taking." he revealed a photo of the minister taking money from the Wagarashi family leader.

With that little secret out, the minister was fired and the Wagarashi family was disbanded. So it looked like the port city was going to be peaceful from here on out.

* * *

A ship from the Leaf Village arrived in port to take us back, since Sasuke's injuries prevented us from walking home.

"I want to thank you guys, for everything." Idate said.

"It was our pleasure." Naruto replied, smiling.

The lead Jōnin who came to retrieve us was none other than Ibiki Morino. "I've come to fetch the wounded." he informed.

Kovu and I carried the Sasuke, who was laying on a stretcher, onto the boat. Naruto and Sakura followed us and the rest of the crew prepared to set sail.

I leaned against the side of the boat, Sasuke sitting next to me. "You're too quiet, more than normal." I noted, looking down at him. "Something wrong?"

"No." Sasuke answered.

I turned and looked out at the horizon. "Once we get back to the village, Lady Hokage will patch you up good as new." I reminded, giggling.

"Sure." Sasuke agreed, looking down.

I sighed and closed my eyes. I opened them and looked out at the sunset, _"That fight with Aoi really took it's toll on him" _I thought. _"I just hope he'll bounce back like all the other times." _I glanced down at Sasuke again and saw his eyes grow hard. _"Because if he doesn't…" _I didn't even want to think of an alternant answer.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Kristin**: Sasuke, Naruto, what's going on with you? This is a hospital for Hokage's sake, do you have to start a fight here of all places? Sasuke is recuperating from our last mission, you should no better Naruto.

**Sakura**: Why does this always happen? Why us? Why them?

**Kristin**: Please guys, don't do this. Next time: **Friends or Rivals? Naruto vs. Sasuke.** If this gets out of hand, they'll kill each other.


	69. Naruto vs Sasuke

**Friends or Rivals? Naruto vs. Sasuke**

* * *

It's been a couple of days since we returned from the Land of Tea, and the village seemed to be coming along in the reconstruction process. I looked out my window and sighed, getting a twisting feeling in the pit of my stomach. In the two days since we've been back, Sasuke's been in the hospital, recuperating from the injuries he sustained. I've been to visit him and I could just feel that he was pulling away from me for some reason.

I threw on my casual clothes for the day and pulled my hair into a high ponytail. I overlooked my self in the mirror and sighed.

I went out to my backyard and picked a few flowers growing, styling them into a small bouquet and wrapping them loosely in old tissue paper, securing them.

"Where are you off to this early?" Kovu asked, rubbing his eyes. His hair was a little messy and he was wearing dark blue sweatpants and a grey muscle shirt.

I smiled, "Just gonna go visit Sasuke in the hospital." I answered, pouring some fresh coffee for my brother and me. "I was hoping the flowers would brighten the room up a little."

Kovu nodded. "You know, I'm surprised you're not in the hospital either." he noted.

"Why's that?" I asked, leaning against the bar.

Kovu shrugged his shoulders, "Mainly because of that fall."

"Yeah." I sighed, "That's a mystery to me too, but hey, maybe I was just lucky."

"Luck, yeah, whatever." he yawned, scratching the back of his head.

I rolled my eyes, "Tell Kallera I'm at the hospital and that I'll be home later." I told him, grabbing the flowers. I kissed Kovu's cheek and walked out the front door.

* * *

As I walked to the hospital, I was pondering what Kovu had said. He was right, strangely enough. I fell the same distance Sasuke did, yet I only had minimal bruising and such. It only took Lady Diana about ten minutes to fully heal me, and she even said I was lucky to have that little injury from that fall.

* * *

{Flashback}

I sat on the hospital bed, recapping my mission for Lady Diana.

"Well sounds like a real interesting mission." Diana chuckled. "Five genin successfully completing an A-rank mission, without a Jōnin supervisor, pretty damn impressive."

I smiled, "Yeah well, teamwork is a great thing."

Diana nodded. "Sure is." she agreed. She clapped her hands together and pale blue chakra enveloped them.

Diana held her hands over my shoulders and slowly healed them. I had a few bruises on my legs, a very minor concussion, and some muscle contusions on my shoulders. Overall it took about ten minutes to completely heal me.

"You're good Kristin." Diana said, rubbing my back. "You must have a guardian angel watching out for ya."

I chuckled, "Maybe." I agreed, standing up. "So, I'm free to go?"

Lady Diana nodded. "Yeah, you're good to go." she answered, closing a manila file.

"Thank you Lady Diana." I said, bowing.

"Anytime sweet girl." Diana smiled and patted my shoulder. "See ya around."

We walked out of the room together and she walked me to Sasuke's room. I stood in the doorway, just staring into his room.

"You know Kris, I've read your Academy file." Diana told me.

"What about it?" I asked, looking up at her.

"Nothing, I just happen to notice that you have perfect chakra control." she answered. "And, if you ever want to learn Medical Ninjutsu, I'll be happy to mentor you."

"Me? A Medical Ninja?" I questioned. "I never even thought about it."

"Well, I think you would make a great one." Diana replied. "You really care about your comrades and that's a crucial trait in a medical ninja. Besides, with your vast knowledge of the five natures, you would make a perfect protégé for me. Since I use the natures of chakra to heal."

I looked at her. "Wow, that's amazing." I sighed.

Diana shrugged her shoulders, "Just think about it." she told me. "If you find that you want to be a medical ninja, drop by and talk to me and I would be happy to train you." she placed her hand on my shoulder. "Not only will you get the training, but you'll also get a contract with the panthers."

I raised an eyebrow. "The panthers? Like Negro?"

Diana nodded. "They use the same medical techniques I do. In fact, I actually learned how to separate the natures from them. After I completed the training, I signed a contract with them, and Negro's been my faithful companion ever since."

I smiled, "I'll think about it." I told her. "Thanks for the offer."

Diana smiled and patted my shoulder. "See ya." she said before walking back to her office.

I sighed and walked into Sasuke's room and sat by his bedside, still pondering Diana's suggestion.

{End Flashback}

* * *

I sighed, _"Me? A Medical Ninja?" _I thought. It never really occurred to me to even pursue that, but now that I think about it, I guess I would make a good medical ninja.

"Kristin." a voice called, snapping me out of my daze.

I looked up and saw Shikamaru walking towards me. I waved at him and stopped. "Hey, what's up?"

Shikamaru pulled me into a hug, "Notice anything?" he asked me.

I opened my eyes and realized that something was different about him. I pulled away and gasped. "No way." I looked him over, noticing the green flak jacket that Chūnin and Jōnin wear. "You've been promoted! Congratulations!" I giggled, hugging him again.

Shikamaru's arms laced around my lower back, "Thanks." he replied.

I pulled away, "This is amazing." I giggled, basically at a loss for words.

Shikamaru put his hands in his pockets, "Asuma said basically the same thing." he told me. "He's taking the team out to celebrate."

I smiled, "Well then, guess I'll steal ya for dinner." I chuckled.

"Dinner?" Shikamaru repeated.

I nodded, "Yeah." I confirmed. "You, me, Sasuke, and Choji, the four of us, just like the old days."

"Speaking of Sasuke, how is he?" Shikamaru asked, placing his hands in his pockets.

"He's okay I guess." I answered, looking down. "I think the only serious wound was dealt to his pride." I flipped my ponytail over my shoulder. "I was thinking the flowers would brighten up the room a little." I sighed. "Maybe the news of your promotion might make him feel a little better. And maybe I could convince the nurses to release him for a few hours, just for dinner."

Shikamaru nodded. "Any time frame?" he asked.

I pondered that for a second, "Seven." I answered. "You and Choji can swing at my house around seven, we'll spend an hour or two together, the four of us." I chuckled, smiling. "My dad has another mission, and I'm pretty sure I can get my brother and sister out of the house an hour or two."

"You don't have to do any of this for me, you know that, right." Shikamaru said, placing his hand on my shoulder.

I looked up into his eyes and smiled. "I want to." I admitted. "It's a big deal, a promotion. you can lead your own squad now." I giggled. "And besides, I want it to be just us four, like the old days." I felt moisture well in my eyes. "Considering how the last thing the four of us did together was get lunch after the Third Hokage's funeral." I sniffled.

Shikamaru wiped the moisture away from my eyes. "Okay, if it means that much to you, I'll pass the news onto Choji." he promised.

I smiled, "Great, it'll be fun." I giggled.

Shikamaru kissed my forehead. "See ya." he said, walking off.

"Later." I replied, walking in the opposite direction. I took one last look over my shoulder and watched Shikamaru walk off, and my heart began to flutter. _"See ya tonight." _I thought, smiling.

* * *

I knocked on the door before entering Sasuke's room.

"Hey Sasuke." I greeted, walking to his bedside table. "I brought you some flowers from my backyard garden, hoping they would brighten the room a little bit." I set the small bouquet in the empty vase. "So, I have some good news, but first, let's get some light in here." I threw the curtains back, letting in the sunlight.

"What good news?" Sasuke asked, sitting up.

"You might be getting out of here for a few hours later." I answered, sitting on the bed. "Because we're gonna celebrate something."

"Celebrate what exactly?" Sasuke questioned, raising an eyebrow.

I smiled, "Shikamaru's been promoted to Chūnin." I informed. "I was gonna make a dinner to celebrate and it would just be the four of us."

Sasuke fell silent and looked out the window. "Well good for him." he said, laying back down.

I got up off the bed and smoothes my skirt, sighing. "Yeah, so I'm gonna run home and look through some old recipes, see what I have and what I don't, do some shopping and such, then I'll come by later and we can talk." I turned to leave but Sasuke grabbed my wrist.

I sat back down and Sasuke pulled my face to his, crashing his lips over mine. He held my jaw as he kissed me, a little roughly. He pulled away and I caught my breath.

"I'll see ya later, Sasuke." I said, getting up. I leaned down and kissed his forehead, caressing his cheek.

* * *

I sighed heavily once I exited the hospital.I glanced over my shoulder where Sasuke's room was and quickly looked away. I shook off the feeling and went on home, thinking about what I was going to make for Shikamaru's promotion dinner. I smiled at that thought.

* * *

I skimmed through the old recipes that my mother made all the time and found the perfect meal to cook for the celebration dinner. I wrote down what I needed to get from the marketplace and slipped the paper into my small, black purse.

"Hey sissy." Kallera said, walking down the stairs.

"Hiya Kal." I replied, smiling.

Kallera wrapped her arms around my neck and laid her chin on the top of my head. "Why are you looking at mom's old cookbooks?" she asked.

I chuckled, "Because I'm making one of her old recipes and I needed to know what I needed to buy." I answered, looking up at her. "I'm making a special dinner tonight, that I need you and Kovu out for."

Kallera giggled, "Ohh, is it a romantic date night for two?" she cooed, nudging my arm.

I chuckled, "More like a casual dinner for four." I corrected.

"I didn't know you were like that, sis." Kallera chuckled.

I rolled my eyes and put the cookbook back on the counter, "It's not like that." I rebuked. "Shikamaru was promoted to Chūnin and I wanted to make a dinner to celebrate that." I slung the strap of my purse over my shoulder, "Dad has another mission, and I was hoping you and Kovu would go do something so it could just be me, Shikamaru, Sasuke, and Choji."

Kallera nodded. "Sure, I understand." she gave me a hug. "Tell the lazy ass I say congrats on the promotion."

I rolled my eyes and ruffled her hair. "See ya little sister." I kissed the top of her head.

I walked out the front door and made my way back to the hospital, and I planned on doing my market shopping on my way back home.

* * *

On my way to the hospital I met up with Sakura, who was carrying a sack of apples.

"Those for Sasuke?" I asked, running up to her.

"Yeah, just thought he would need something to eat, being cooped up in the hospital and all." Sakura chuckled, a light blush crossing her cheeks.

I giggled, "Yeah I was just on my way there as well, then I have to do some grocery shopping." we fell in step together.

"What are you making for dinner tonight?" Sakura asked.

"One of my mom's old recipes." I answered, smiling.

"I'm sure it'll be delicious." Sakura complimented.

"If there's any left, I'll bring by leftovers tomorrow." I chuckled.

Sakura nudged my shoulder and giggled. Our friendship was coming along nicely, so the fact that Sasuke had kissed me a couple times will never come up between us because I don't want to ruin a potentially great friendship.

* * *

As we approached Sasuke's hospital room, Naruto came running up to us.

"Hey girls!" he chuckled, an ear to ear grin on his face.

"Hi Naruto." I replied, smiling back.

I opened the door and the three of us walked in. Sakura sat in the chair next to Sasuke's bed, while I sat on the side and Naruto stood at the foot of the bed. Sakura slowly peeled an apple and the room was basically silent, and that worried me a little bit.

I saw Sasuke fist the blankets and grit his teeth. _"What the hell?" _I thought.

"There we go, all done." Sakura giggled. "I'll cut it so it's easier to eat." she held the plate out for Sasuke, "Here ya go."

Sasuke turned to her with cold, hard eyes and swatted the plate out of her hands, causing it to shatter on the floor.

"What the hell Sasuke!" I screamed, jumping up.

"Dude, what was that about?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke looked at him and Naruto gasped. "Why are you glaring at me like that?" Naruto asked.

"Fight me now." Sasuke said in a cold voice.

"Huh?" Sakura and I gasped, looking at each other.

"Why would you wanna fight me here, now?" Naruto questioned. "We're in the hospital and you were just patched up by Grandma Tsunade."

"Shut up and fight!" Sasuke yelled, activating his Sharingan.

"_Sasuke's serious about this." _I whimpered.

"You really think you saved me?" Sasuke scoffed. "I don't care if she's the Fifth Hokage, you never should've gotten her involved in this." he threw the blankets back and stepped out of bed. "You said before that you wanted to fight me, right? Well now's your chance, unless you've chickened out."

"Sasuke, what the hell is wrong with you?" I asked, grabbing his arm. He shot me a glare and yanked his arm back, making me back up and recoil.

"Naruto, do something." Sakura begged. "This is crazy."

Naruto cracked a smile. "Actually this is perfect." he rebuked. "I was just thinking about how I wanted to kick your ass."

Sasuke smirked and motioned to the door, "Follow me." he ordered, walking past Sakura and myself.

Images of his curse seal and Orochimaru came to my mind and I whimpered. _"Not again. This can't happen again."_

"Sakura, I need you to do something." I said, once the boys left.

"What is it?" she asked, her voice shaky.

I shuddered, "I need you to go and get Kakashi-sensei." I answered, turning to look at her. "He's the only one who can talk some real sense into those two."

Sakura whimpered, "Where is he?" she asked me.

I sighed, wiping the moisture from my eyes. "I saw him at my mother's grave when I left home." I told her. "Go to my family's shrine, which is less than a mile from my home. Go and get Kakashi-sensei and tell him to get here ASAP."

Sakura nodded and we both ran out the door, she ran to the front of the hospital and I followed Naruto and Sasuke to the roof.

"_What is going on?" _I asked myself. _"What made Sasuke flip out so suddenly?" _a part of me didn't want to know that answer, and a chilling feeling ran through my body.

* * *

I ran to the open door and saw Sasuke and Naruto standing opposite each other.

"An idiot like you has no right to act all high and mighty." Sasuke grunted.

"What happened to calm, controlled Sasuke?" Naruto taunted. "Am I making you nervous?"

The two slung insults back and forth, preparing to fight.

"Put on your headband, I'll wait." Naruto said.

"I don't need that thing." Sasuke rebuked. "There's no reason because you won't be able to make a scratch on my forehead."

"That's not the point!" Naruto snapped. "Putting your headband on is a testament to fighting on equal terms as a Leaf Shinobi."

"There you go, acting all high and mighty again." Sasuke pointed out. "You don't honestly think we're equals." he scoffed.

"Hell yeah I do." Naruto rebuked. "I never thought that I was inferior to you in any way."

I gasped, this was a side of Naruto I hadn't ever seen before. And the statement was the same for Sasuke. That last remark was the last straw and the two boys charged for each other, and all I could do was watch.

The fight started off with basic taijutsu, but then intensified after Sasuke landed a punch to Naruto's jaw. Naruto used his specialty and surrounded Sasuke with a few dozen 'Shadow Clones'. But since Sasuke was using his Sharingan, he could easily distinguish the clones from the real Naruto. Sasuke managed to get high enough into the air and let loose his fireball jutsu, destroying all the Narutos at once.

"Naruto!" I yelled, recoiling from the heat wave.

Once the fire cleared I saw one more clone had remained and he was forming some kind of jutsu, which looked like a chakra sphere. At the same time, Sasuke activated his Chidori.

"_Please, no." _I begged, clasping my hands together. _"Stop fighting, both of you. Please."_

"Stop it!" I screamed, closing my eyes and running ahead.

I felt the burning sensation cover my skin, but I kept my eyes closed. I had to stop my two teammates from killing each other, because that's just what they were about to do.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Kristin**: I knew our squad was gonna be different, we were the four most different people from our entire class. I thought after the Land of Waves we could be great, that just wasn't in the cards I guess. After the Chūnin Exams, that's when things really started to change. And now, they just tried to kill each other, what am I supposed to do? What can I do? I getting all these mixed feelings about everything, I just don't know what to do anymore, and I'm scared something's gonna happen that's gonna change our lives forever.

Next time: **Broken Bonds…**

If this doesn't end, my team's gonna pay the ultimate price…

* * *

**A/N: **Well now begins the turning point of the story, the **Sasuke Retrieval Arc. **I can't give you guys a set number of chapters that this arc will contain, because I'll be combining a few episodes here and there to make for longer chapters. So I hope you guys enjoy the chapter and review please^^ **No flames**.


	70. Broken Bonds

**Broken Bonds**

* * *

The fight started off with basic taijutsu, but then intensified after Sasuke landed a punch to Naruto's jaw. Naruto used his specialty and surrounded Sasuke with a few dozen 'Shadow Clones'. But since Sasuke was using his Sharingan, he could easily distinguish the clones from the real Naruto. Sasuke managed to get high enough into the air and let loose his fireball jutsu, destroying all the Narutos at once.

"Naruto!" I yelled, recoiling from the heat wave.

Once the fire cleared I saw one more clone had remained and he was forming some kind of jutsu, which looked like a chakra sphere. At the same time, Sasuke activated his Chidori.

"_Please, no." _I begged, clasping my hands together. _"Stop fighting, both of you. Please."_

"Stop it!" I screamed, closing my eyes and running ahead.

I felt the burning sensation cover my skin, but I kept my eyes closed. I had to stop my two teammates from killing each other, because that's just what they were about to do.

It was like everything was happening in slow motion. I yelled at my teammates to stop, but it appeared they couldn't hear me. I could feel tears falling down my cheeks and my heart was beating so fast I could hear it in my ears.

"Stop no!" I called out to them.

* * *

Then, I suddenly felt arms grip around me and my eyes shot open. I saw the green flak jacket and long, blue sleeves, and knew instinctively who it was.

I wrapped my arms around his back, burying my face in his chest. "Daddy." I whimpered, gripping his vest.

He rubbed my back, "It's alright sweetie." he soothed, kissing the top of my head.

I pulled away and wiped my tears from my cheeks. Sakura tapped my shoulder and I gave her a one armed hug.

"What the hell was going on here?" Kovu asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Naruto and Sasuke were thrown into the two water towers.

"What were you two doing up here?" Dad asked. "That was a little intense for just a sparring match. What's wrong with you two?"

Naruto's jutsu created a small dent in one of the water towers and Sasuke's created a major dent in the other.

Dad sat atop the water tower that Sasuke dented, berating him about the, 'sparring match' he just had with Naruto. Sasuke scoffed and looked away.

"What the hell happened sis?" Kovu asked me.

"They almost killed each other, that's what happened." I answered.

* * *

Sasuke backflipped over the gate. I narrowed my eyes and followed him, flipping over my dad and landing on the wooden slap behind the hospital. I landed in front of him.

"What the hell Sasuke!" I yelled, forcibly stopping him.

"Not now Kristin." Sasuke said, pulling away from me.

"Oh, yes now." I rebuked. "That was a little intense up there. What the hell has gotten into you? You weren't like this before, what's changed?"

"It's none of your business." he growled.

"You're my teammate so it makes it my business." I reminded. "Sasuke, this new power trip of yours is starting to freak me out a little. If you blow up just at the sight of Naruto, who's supposed to be our friend, then I'm afraid of what will happen tonight." I turned my back towards him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sasuke asked.

I sighed, turning my head back to look at him. "I mean that, of you can't be genuinely happy for our friend's promotion, don't even bother coming to my house tonight." I answered. "I wouldn't want the wrong to be said that would damage your ego to where you would start a fight in my living room. See ya." I spun on my heels and ran away, putting as much distance between Sasuke and me as I could.

* * *

I leaned against a building wall and shuddered. _"What the hell is going on in my life?" _I thought, suppressing the urge to cry again.

"Okay Kristin, you have some grocery shopping to do." I reminded myself, smoothing my skirt. I pulled out the list I wrote and looked it over.

As I walked through the market, I saw Choji with his mom and sister.

"Choji!" I called, running up to him.

"Hey-" Choji called back, "Kristin?"

I threw myself into his arms, crying into his shoulder. He rubbed my back soothingly. I couldn't form any words to say, so I just kept crying.

"Ma, I'm gonna walk her home." Choji said, hugging me.

Mrs. Akimichi nodded and took Kiku's hand, walking away. Choji continued to rub my back.

"What's the matter, tell me." he said, pushing me away and wiping the tears from my cheeks.

"My team is falling apart." I replied, sniffling. "That's what's the matter."

Choji rubbed my shoulders. "What happened?"

I sniffled again. "Sasuke and Naruto almost killed each other in a very intense sparring match." I answered, rubbing my eyes. "My dad stopped them just in time."

Choji hugged me tightly. "Tell me everything that happened." he rubbed my back and walked in step with me.

* * *

So I explained everything about what happened at the hospital, and Choji understood and rubbed my shoulder when I almost broke down crying. He helped me pick up the materials I needed for the dinner, which now would be for three.

"Can you stay with me, Choji?" I asked, looking at him as we made our way back to my house.

"Of course Kris, I'll stay with you." Choji agreed.

"Thanks man, you're the best." I smiled and chuckled.

"Anything for my favorite Kunoichi." Choji chuckled, nudging my hip.

* * *

Choji opened my front door and held it open as I walked in, setting the grocery bags on the countertop. Choji set the three bags he carried next to the two I had.

"So what are you making?" he asked, leaning against the bar.

"A salad, beef stew with vegetables and chicken dumplings, and for dessert, my mom's berry cobbler." I answered, taking out the various vegetables I bought. "I told Shikamaru seven, so I should probably get started."

"Want any help?" Choji asked, giving me a smile.

I tied my green and pink apron around me and nodded. "Yeah, you can start by washing the fruits and vegetables, while I get the water boiling and the meat sliced."

Choji put all the fruits in one colander and the vegetables in the other and began washing them, thoroughly. I filled the stew pot with water and set it to a medium heat. As the water simmered, I began slicing the meat, cutting them into cubes.

Choji handed me the colander of washed vegetables, which were ready for me to cut. I tossed the cubed meat into the large skillet to let them cook while I diced up the vegetables, while also mixing up the broth for the stew.

"Now what Kris?" Choji asked.

I dumped the veggies into the stew pot, turned the heat down on the skillet. "While the meat and veggies are actually cooking, I'll get started on the cobbler, and you can help with the salad." I told him.

Choji nodded and went to start chopping up the lettuce while I carefully measured the ingredients for the cobbler.

* * *

My dad walked through the front door just as I slid the cobbler into the oven to bake.

"Daddy." I said, turning to face him.

"Kristin, I need to talk to you before I leave." he replied, motioning for me to follow him.

I nodded, "Choji, keep stirring the stew and watch the cobbler." I patted his shoulder, and followed my dad.

"What's this about?" I asked him, sitting on his bed.

"What the hell were you thinking back at the hospital?" he asked me, looking down at me. "You could've been killed, Kristin."

I looked down, "I had to do something, dad." I defended. "I couldn't just stand there and watch them hurt each other."

"I don't think you understand the severity of those jutsus." Dad said. "Those are A-ranked level techniques, that have fatal outcomes on opponents."

"I know that." I replied. "Hence why I tried to stop it."

Dad looked at me and sighed. "Did you think Helena's seal would protect you?"

I slightly nodded and avoided eye contact. "It crossed my mind, but still, I didn't voluntarily activate it." I informed, still not making eye contact. "The seal acted on it's own."

Dad sighed, "I think you're taking Helena's powers for granted." he said. "You rely too much on her power to protect you in a fight so you can go all out. But the truth is, sweetie, there's only so much that the seal can do. Even Helena has her limits."

I sat on dad's bed in silence as he packed his bag for his next mission. He stood in front of me, "I know this must be hard on you, but please, don't do anything reckless while I'm away."

I looked up at him and sniffled. "Fine, I won't." I replied. "At least, I'll try not to."

Dad leaned down and kissed my forehead. "I love Kristin, never forget that." he said. "I'll be back in a few days time."

"Be careful dad." I warned.

"Always am." dad kissed my forehead and left home.

* * *

I sighed and watched as the sun began to set over the village. It was almost seven so I went into my room to change into something a little bit more fancier than my normal skirt and top.

I slipped into my silky, sky blue dress with a criss-cross halter top that reached to my knees, and my matching white sandals. I brushed through my hair and pulled it into a low ponytail and draped it over my shoulder.

"_Be happy, this is a happy dinner." _I told myself, looking at my reflection.

I walked down the stairs and saw Choji and Shikamaru talking by the bar. "Hey boys." I greeted, smiling.

Both turned to me and gaped. "You look beautiful, Kris." Shikamaru complimented.

I chuckled, "Thank you, just thought I'd dress up for the occasion." I smiled.

Shikamaru held out a bouquet of pink and white roses, neatly wrapped. "These are from my mom, she thought I should bring something to thank you for the dinner." he said, handing me the flowers.

I sniffed them, and they smelled wonderful. "Well thanks, these can be the centerpiece." I put the roses in a vase and filled it with water, setting it in the center of the table. "So, let's eat."

I set the table with the plates and bowls and served the food.

"I thought you said Sasuke was gonna join us." Shikamaru reminded, taking a seat next to me.

"Change of plans." I corrected. "Let's just say, he's not really in any kind of mood for this."

"He and Naruto had a major fight earlier, and not a traditional one." Choji informed.

"What kind of fight?" Shikamaru asked, looking at me.

"He and Naruto basically tried to kill each other." I answered, taking a small bite of soup.

Shikamaru nodded and rubbed my shoulder, "Sorry about that." he consoled.

I gave him a small smile. "Okay, no downing talk. This is supposed to be a celebration." I reminded, lifting my glass of tea. "A toast to Shikamaru, who was the lucky rookie to be promoted to Chūnin."

We clinked our glasses together and chuckled, smiling. The dinner went great, and I packed a few containers of leftovers for Choji and Shikamaru. I walked them to the front door and opened it.

"Thanks for dinner Kris, it was delicious." Choji said, giving a big hug.

"You're welcome, and thanks for staying with me." I replied, hugging him back. "I know I can always count on you."

"You bet you can." Choji gave me a reassuring smile and walked off, leaving Shikamaru and me.

"I still say you didn't need to do all this." Shikamaru repeated.

"And I still say I wanted to." I replied. "Thanks for the flowers."

Shikamaru smiled, taking my hand, "Thank you for dinner. I agree with Choji, it was amazing."

I smiled back, "Well I'm glad you enjoyed it, since it was all for you." I giggled. "And, since you can lead your own squad now. If you find use for a young Kunoichi who just happens to know Water-Style, give me a call."

Shikamaru chuckled, "You're at the top of my list." he said.

I looked up into his eyes, and I felt like my heart was gonna leap out of my chest. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him, laying my head on his shoulder.

"Are you gonna be okay?" he asked, rubbing my back. "With what happened with your team?"

I nodded, "We'll manage, we always do." I answered, holding my tears back. "But, at least I know I can talk to you and Choji."

Shikamaru nodded, tilting my chin up so our eyes locked, "If you ever need to talk, you know where to find me." he reassured. He touched his forehead to mine, "I'll always be here for you, just like I promised."

I nodded, smiling weakly. "I know." I replied, looking into his brown eyes. "I trust you."

I tilted my face up and closed my eyes, aiming for a kiss. Shikamaru planted a kiss on my forehead, caressing my jaw line.

"I'll see ya tomorrow Kris." he whispered, touching his forehead to mine.

I exhaled. "Okay, see ya." I whispered back.

Shikamaru kissed my cheek and turned to leave. I watched as he and Choji walked back towards their homes.

* * *

I shut the front door and quickly ran up the stairs to my bedroom and looked out the window, watching them reach the end of the street and turn onto the next one.

"Goodnight Shikamaru." I whispered to myself, smiling.

I shut my bedroom window and changed out of my dress and into my green tank top and skirt. I slid on my blue sandals and walked out into the night.

* * *

Soon I found myself standing in front of the Academy, and I saw Sakura sitting at one of the old picnic tables.

"Hey Sakura." I greeted.

"Hi Kris." she replied.

I took a seat opposite her and saw that Naruto was sitting on the old swing, while Sasuke was leaning against the side of the building, shrouded by the shadows. The four of us were aware of everyone else's presence, yet, no one really seemed to care.

* * *

Sasuke leaned against the side of the Academy, looking up at the full moon.

"You and me, we used to be together. Everyday together, always."

Naruto looked over where Sasuke stood, his eyes holding a hint of sadness.

"I really feel that I'm losing my best friend. I can't believe this could be the end."

Sakura watched Naruto while I had my eyes locked on Sasuke.

"It looks as though you're letting go, and if it's real, well, I don't want to know."

Sasuke and I sighed, looking away from each other.

"Don't speak. I know just what you're saying, so please stop explaining. Don't tell me 'cause it hurts."

Sakura and Naruto were both looking down to the ground.

"Don't speak, I know what you're thinking. I don't need your reasons, don't tell me 'cause it hurts."

Sakura glanced at Sasuke, who was still looking away from us.

"Our memories, well, they can be inviting, but some are altogether, mighty frightening."

Naruto and I locked eyes for an instant.

"As we die, both you and I, with my head in my hands, I sit and cry."

We all left the Academy grounds, walking together, yet there was space between each of us.

"Don't speak, I know just what you're saying, so please stop explaining. Don't tell me 'cause it hurts."  
We found ourselves at terrace where we first grouped as Squad Seven.

"No, no, no, don't speak. I know what you're thinking , I don't need your reasons, don't tell me 'cause it hurts. It's all ending , I gotta stop pretending who we are."

I cast a glance at each one of my teammates as I walked forward, leaning against the white railing in the front of the terrace, my back to the three of them.

"You and me, I can see us dying. Are we?"  
"Don't speak, I know just what you're saying, so please stop explaining, don't tell me 'cause it hurts. No, no, don't speak, I know what you're thinking. I don't need your reasons, don't tell me 'cause it hurts. Don't tell me 'cause it hurts!"

We left the terrace area and continued to walk the village, space still separating us. It was like we were together, yet completely alone all at the same time.

"I know what you're saying, so please stop explaining. Don't speak, don't speak, don't speak, oh. I know what you're thinking, and I don't need your reasons. I know you're good, I know you're good, I know you're real good, oh."

We found ourselves at the Third Training Grounds, which is where we officially became Squad Seven. When we first learned our code of teamwork.

"La la la la la la. La la la la la la. Don't, don't, oh, ooh. Hush, hush darlin' (La la la la la la). Hush, hush darlin' (**: **La la la la la la)."  
"Don't tell me 'cause it hurts. Hush, darlin' ( La la la la la la)  
Hush, darlin' (La la la la la la)."  
"Don't tell me 'cause it hurts. Don't tell me 'cause it hurts."

We took off in our own directions, not even glancing at each other.

* * *

I laid in my bed, looking up at the ceiling. The day's events were finally catching up to me and I slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Kristin**: Sasuke's left the village in search of the power to kill Itatchi. And the only place he can get that is with Orochimaru.

**Naruto**: That jerk, well I'm not gonna let him leave. I'll drag him back here by his neck if I have to!

**Kristin**: This mission is gonna be dangerous, but I think the seven of us can bring him back. At least, I hope we can.

**Helena**: Next time: **Formation! The Sasuke Retrieval Squad! **This is an A-ranked mission at least, I hope this doesn't end all of our lives.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay so the ending musical number was entirely my idea, I really think the song fits into this particular time, and I could imagine it actually happening. The song is _Don't Speak _by No Doubt, (Glee Cast cover). Sasuke sang all of Finn's lines, Naruto sang Blain's, Kristin sang Rachel's, and Sakura sung Kurt's. Hope you enjoy, read and review, **no flames**.


	71. Formation!

**Formation! The Sasuke Retrieval Squad! **

* * *

{Dream}

I felt a burning sensation collide with both of my shoulders and my pain intensified tenfold. Everything was going hazy so quickly and the weightless sensation took over. There were countless, jagged rocks at the bottom of the waterfall, and I braced myself for the pain to come.

I slowly felt my energy leave me, combined with sharp pain shooting throughout my body. I could feel blood running down from open wounds all over my arms and legs. I crashed into the water and skidded onto the shore.

My body was sore all over and it hurt to move anything even a fraction of an inch. I heard one crash of thunder and then rain came pouring down. The rain water felt cold to the touch and all I could do was lay there. My vision was blurring and I was freezing.

"_So this is it?" _I thought, looking up to the sky. _"This is how I'm gonna leave this world?" _

Through slightly open lids, I saw someone stand over me, his dark eyes staring down at me. I tried to speak, but couldn't form any words.

I reached out and gripped his leg as he turned to walk away. He looked back down at me.

"_Sasuke, please. Please don't go." _I begged. My grip loosened and my hand fell from his ankle.

Sasuke closed his eyes and walked away. He made it to the forest edge, before looking back over his shoulder. Our eyes met for only a second before he turned and walked into the forest.

My vision blurred and my eyes slowly closed. _"So, this is goodbye, forever." _I took what could be my last breath. I felt a single tear fall down my cheek, _"I'm sorry, I failed… Grandpa, help me…"_

{End Dream}

* * *

I jolted awake, gasping for breath. I felt all over my body and there was no blood or any open wounds.

"What the hell?" I panted. I looked ahead in my mirror and gasped.

I jumped out of my bed and ran to my mirror, overlooking myself thoroughly. I was still in my nightgown, and my hair was in a low ponytail, but my bangs were different. Instead of them being the same hot pink they were since I was born. They were now dark purple.

"_This is all too weird." _I thought. _"First my freaky-ass dream and now my bangs are purple? What the hell is going on?"_

"_Look on your nightstand." _Helena said.

I looked back and saw a scroll on my nightstand. Taking Helena's advice I opened it and read it. I gasped and dropped it.

"No, this can't be happening." I whispered, leaning against my windowsill. "He couldn't have just left the village."

"_Oh, he did." _Helena contradicted.

"I have to tell Lady Hokage right away." I muttered, running to my dresser and throwing off my nightgown, changing into my tank top and skirt. I strapped on my sandals and jumped out of my window, practically bolting towards the Hokage Palace.

"_This just can't be happening. Why, why would he leave?" _I thought, racing down the village streets. _"Does power really mean all that much to him? I just don't understand." _

* * *

I ran up the stairs to the Hokage Palace and sprinted down the hallway. The door to Lady Tsunade's office was slightly open and I ran right in.

"Lady Tsunade!" I called, skidding to a halt right in front of her desk.

"Kristin, what happened?" she asked, leaning over her desk. "Why were you in such a hurry?"

After panting and catching my breath, I slammed the scroll onto her desk. "Sasuke's gone!" I informed. "He left the village last night. Or early this morning. Whatever, the point is, he's gone!"

"Are you sure of that!?" she asked, standing up.

I nodded, "Yeah, he left me that note." I answered, pushing the scroll forward.

"That's what we were going to tell you, Lady Hokage." said Kotetsu.

"We hard the news from Sakura herself." added Izumo. "There's no reason to doubt what she told us."

"Sakura?" I questioned, turning to look back at the two Chūnin.

Izumo nodded. "We found her on a bench on our way here." he informed.

"Kristin." Lady Tsunade said, snapping my attention back to her. "Go home and grab you gear, then get back here as soon as you can."

"Yes ma'am." I bowed respectfully and jumped out the rear windows, making my way back home.

* * *

I jumped back through my bedroom window and wrapped bandages around my midsection and legs. I stocked my ninja pouch full of element summoning scrolls, kunai knives, shuriken, senbon, wire, and a few blank sand some smoke and paper bombs. I tied my headband around my waist and tightened my ponytail.

I looked over my squad picture and smiled, _"Why couldn't we just stay like that?" _I asked, shaking my head. I set the picture back on my nightstand and sighed.

I took out a blank scroll from my desk and wrote a small note for Kovu and Kallera to read.

_'Something came up in need of my attention. Left early for a mission, don't know when I'll be back. Don't worry about me, I'll be ok. Love, Kris.'_

* * *

I quietly snuck out of my house, trying not to make a sound. The morning breeze blew by me, and I looked towards my family's shrine. I made the decision to go there first, seeing as I was in desperate need of family advice.

I knelt in front of my grandfather's headstone, running my hand over his name etched into the stone.

"Grandpa, I have no idea what's about to happen." I admitted. "But, I really need your help. Please, please watch over me. Because, I have a feeling that I'll really be needing it." I shuddered. "I love you, Grandfather."

I stood up and brushed the grass off my skirt and sighed. After walking down the steps, I sprinted towards the Hokage Palace.

* * *

I ran down the hallway and ran back into Lady Tsunade's office, but instead I ran into someone's chest.

"Oh, son of a bitch." I grunted, rubbing my nose. "That is not the right way to wake up at five in the morning." I looked up and was met with Shikamaru's beautiful brown eyes and I slightly blushed. "Morning, Shikamaru." I chuckled. "Ignore that son of a bitch comment."

"I take it you're ready Kristin?" Lady Tsunade asked.

I walked past Shikamaru and stood in front of her desk. "Yes ma'am, I'm ready for whatever mission you give me." I answered.

She leaned back in her chair and smiled, "Good, meet with your squad leader and come up with a plan to bring Sasuke back to the village." she ordered.

"Squad leader?" I repeated.

Lady Tsunade pointed her finger and I realized that it was Shikamaru she was referring to. I nodded and walked over, standing by him.

"You sure you're up for this?" he asked.

I nodded, "He's my teammate, I have to do what I can." I answered.

Shikamaru sighed heavily. "This whole thing is a drag, but I do know the guy so I can't just let it go." he said. "Well that's just the way it is, I guess."

"Agreed." I muttered.

As we turned to leave, Lady Tsunade stopped us. "Hold on. There is one person I strongly recommend you include." she smiled at the two of us.

She whispered his name in my ear and I nodded in agreement. "Let's get going Shikamaru." I said, opening the door.

* * *

I knocked on Naruto's front door. "C'mon you knucklehead! Wake up, it's urgent!" I yelled. I knocked again. "Naruto!"

"I'm coming. I'm coming." he called, opening the door. He was still in his pajamas. "This better be important, Kris." he groaned.

"Sasuke's gone." I informed. "He left the village last night."

Naruto's jaw dropped. "No way!" he shouted, clenching his fists. "Stay here, I'll go get dressed." Naruto slammed his door shut, leaving Shikamaru and me on the front porch.

"He's already this annoying after just waking up?" Shikamaru asked, rubbing his temples.

I nodded. "Yeah." I answered, "You can never say he doesn't have any energy."

Shikamaru sighed heavily.

* * *

Naruto charged out of his apartment and the three of us ran through the street.

"So besides me, have you thought of any other top-notch guys in mind?" Naruto asked.

"A few." Shikamaru answered.

"Like who?" I asked him.

"You'll see." he winked at me.

* * *

Shikamaru knocked on Choji's front door. "Wake up, will ya?" he said, knocking again.

"He said top-notch guys right?" Naruto questioned, looking at me.

I smiled, "Naruto, have a little faith." I replied.

"Oh well, plan B I guess." Shikamaru sighed, sitting down by the front door. He pulled out a bag of barbeque flavored potato chips. "Feel free to help out."

He and Naruto ate the entire bag, leaving only one chip left.

"Now." Shikamaru muttered.

Choji's front door slid open and he grabbed the last chip.

"Even for a bag of potato chips, I refuse to let anyone have the last bite." Choji growled.

Naruto gaped and I chuckled.

"Choji and I, we've been on the same team for a long time." Shikamaru informed. "We work well together so asking him is a no brainer."

Choji smiled.

"I get it, you know him!" Naruto yelled. "But for this mission don't you think your first choice should be someone like Shino?!"

"Man, do you always have to yell?" Shikamaru asked, covering his ear.

I shook my head and rubbed my temples.

Out of nowhere, Akamaru came charging at us, aiming to eat the chip that Choji held. But, no such luck.

Kiba chuckled. "Shino can't do it." he informed. "He's on some special mission with his father right now."

"Wait, not them too?" Naruto asked.

"Yep, they're on the team." Shikamaru answered.

Akamaru yipped, wagging his tail.

* * *

As we ran down the street, Shikamaru informed Kiba and Choji about the mission.

"Sounds like an interesting job." Kiba noted.

"So Shikamaru, are there any other guys you have in mind?" Naruto asked.

"I wish we had time to find some more guys, but we're late already." Shikamaru informed. "If we can't find anyone else on our way out of the village, I suppose it'll just be us."

I stopped running and looked around.

"Kris, what is it?" Choji asked.

I turned to Shikamaru, "You trust me right?" I asked, locking eyes with him.

He placed his hand on my shoulder and gently squeezed it. "Yes, I trust you." he answered.

I smiled. "Give me five minutes."

* * *

I jumped over the fence nearby and walked down the hill. I faintly heard sounds of training nearby. I stood and watched Orchi trade a couple more punches with her mom before alerting her to me watching.

I cleared my throat. "Hey Orchi." I called.

She spun and looked in my direction, "Hey Kris, what are you doing up this early?" she asked.

"I have a mission, and I-we could really use your help." I answered, walking up to her.

"What can I do?" she asked. "What's the mission?"

"Sasuke left the village last night, and Shikamaru's putting a team together to go after him." I informed. "So far it's Shikamaru, me, Naruto, Choji, and Kiba."

"Why would Sasuke leave the village?" Orchi questioned.

I put my hands on my hips and sighed. "To seek training from Orochimaru." I replied, not making eye contact.

"Orochimaru." Orchi repeated.

"It's me and four other guys, I could really use another girl on the team." I pleaded. "And your Earth-Style cane really be of help. Please?"

Orchi looked back at her mom. Satsuki nodded, "Go on Orchi, help your friends." she said.

Orchi ran and hugged her mother. "Thanks mom." she sighed. "I'll make you proud."

"Just be careful, sweetie." Satsuki replied. "Watch each other's backs, and show those guys just how tough a Kunoichi can be."

"Let's go." I voted.

* * *

Orchi and I ran up the hill and jumped back over the fence, landing in front of the rest of the guys.

"So, meet the new member." I introduced, pointing to Orchi.

"Kristin filled me in, and I'd be glad to help." Orchi added.

"Think you can handle this tough of a mission, Orchi?" Kiba asked.

Orchi walked up to him and smiled, "Don't worry dog-breath, I'll try not to show you up too bad."

I chuckled and glanced at Shikamaru. "You trust me right?" I asked again.

He nodded, "Yes, I do." he hugged me and rubbed my upper back.

* * *

We ran towards the village gate and on the way came across Neji and Lee. They came down the stairs and met up with us, and Shikamaru informed them about the mission assignment.

"I see." Neji spoke. "Sounds serious."

"Yeah, it's a drag, but I figured the more guys we have the better." Shikamaru sighed.

The look on Lee's face was upsetting, because of the fact he was still supposed to take it easy. His surgery was successful, but he still needed to recuperate before training again.

"Lee, it's up to you." Neji told him. "You do what you must do."

He gave one last look at all of us and turned his back, limping towards the stairs. "Tomorrow I will try climbing these steps by myself." Lee vowed. He turned back to us, smiling. "I will be fine, you go on without me."

* * *

We came to the village gate, that swung open, revealing the surrounding area.

"It's time to go." Shikamaru ordered.

"Alright! Let's get goin everybody, follow me!" Naruto shouted.

I sighed and placed my hands on my hips.

"Is he really serious?" Orchi asked me.

I nodded, "Sadly yes." I answered. "Good thing he isn't the squad leader."

"Amen to that." Orchi agreed. She held out her fist and I bumped it.

"Hey, uh Naruto. I'm kinda supposed to be the platoon leader here." Shikamaru informed. "I know it's a drag, but."

Naruto turned his head and groaned. "Do you really think you're the best person to direct this operation?" he questioned. "You don't seem very reliable to me."

"What's with you taking charge all of a sudden, Naruto?" Kiba asked. "I mean, taking orders from someone as lazy as Shikamaru doesn't exactly thrill me either, but still." Akamaru yipped in agreement.

"But none of you get to decided who's the leader here." Choji cut in. "Because Shikamaru is the only one of us who's a Chūnin. That means the elders of the village clearly believe he's got what it takes to call the shots on this one."

"If that's the case, then maybe we should come up with some sort of plan." Neji suggested.

"From what I've heard, Sasuke's gone to the enemy." Orchi added. "And there's a real chance they could ambush us."

"Well, for starters, this is a rescue operation, so we'll be in the position of pursuit. Which means that the enemy already has an advantage over us." Shikamaru told us. "That said, I'm arranging us in a deployment formation that can respond to any attack. If you don't follow my exact orders, we're all gonna die."

Kiba gasped and Akamaru rubbed his face. Orchi and I looked at each other and clasped hands.

Shikamaru glanced at each one of us and closed his eyes. The formation he set up for us was a single file, strike formation. He put Kiba at the front, followed by himself, then me, then Naruto, then Choji, then Orchi, and finally Neji at the rear.

"With all the walks Kiba and Akamaru go on, they're most familiar with the Land of Fire's terrain. And with their sensitive noses, they'll be able to track Sasuke's scent, while also sniffing out booby traps, and with two sets of eyes up front, they'll be most effective in protecting our single file line." Shikamaru informed.

"No pressure or anything." Kiba replied. Akamaru yipped in agreement.

"From my position as second in line, I'll be able to direct everyone behind me using silent, hand signals." Shikamaru went on. "And because I'm so close to Kiba, I'll be in the perfect position to respond to any attack."

The next in line was me, which according to Shikamaru, held an important responsibility.

Shikamaru's eyes locked with mine as he explained to me my duties in the formation.

"As third in line Kristin, you're directly behind me. From there, you can pass on my orders to the rest of the team. For this position I needed someone who knows me so well, and who could best interpret my orders and pass them on to the rest of the team." he told me. He stood in front of me and placed his hands on my shoulders. "Another one of your responsibilities, probably your most important, is to watch my back."

I gasped. "That's a pretty big responsibility." I pointed out. "You sure I'm up for it?"

He placed his hands on my shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. "I'm putting you in this position because I trust you're up to it." he answered. "I believe in you, one-hundred percent."

I looked up into his eyes and could feel heat rising to my cheeks, and I hoped it didn't show. My heart fluttered in my chest and I felt a little weak in the knees. I didn't know what this feeling was, or maybe I did and didn't want to admit it was true.

I took a deep breath and exhaled. "You can count on me." I replied, smiling. "I won't let you down. I promise." I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, laying my head against his shoulder. I took another deep breath and exhaled.

"The middle position of the formation will be Naruto." Shikamaru went on. "This position is perfect for you because you're capable of executing quick moves both in front of you and behind you. You're the cornerstone of this formation."

Naruto smiled. "You know it." he agreed, chuckling.

"Next in line is Choji." Shikamaru added. "You may not have any speed, Choji, but your striking power is the greatest out of everyone here. Kiba, myself, Kristin, and Naruto will launch a surprise attack, and then you'll swoop in and finish them off, as the second wave of the assault."

Choji nodded in agreement.

"After Choji, will be Orchi." Shikamaru said, turning to the second Kunoichi of our team. "As part of the second assault wave, your knowledge of Earth Release proves the most advantageous. From your position, you'll be able to execute an effect technique that could immobilize or incapacitate one or more of our enemies, diminishing their numbers, and at the same time, giving us an advantage."

Orchi nodded her head and smiled, "Sounds good to me." she replied, placing her hands on her hips.

Shikamaru nodded, "And finally, on the end will be you, Neji. Your position is the most difficult; rear lookout." he informed. "I want you to use your Byakugan to constantly scan ahead for weakness in our ranks."

I stood there in awe at how Shikamaru organized us, so quickly and efficiently. _"Even though this team was just assembled, he pinpointed each of our best qualities and assembled the perfect formation where those qualities would be the most affective against the enemy." _I thought, smiling. _"Is this really the same Shikamaru I've known my entire life? Or, has he been in front of me all this time, and I just haven't seen him, until now?"_

"So, does anyone have any questions?" Shikamaru asked, snapping me out of my slight daze.

Everyone else was silent and Naruto shook his head.

"Since no one else has anything to add, I've saved the most important thing for last." Shikamaru added.

That statement caught all of our attention. A gentle breeze blew by us.

"For as long as I've known him, Sasuke and I were friends, but we drifted apart as the years drew by." Shikamaru informed. "In fact, the only reason I ever hung out with him was so I wouldn't loose another friendship, one that I really treasure." his brown eyes glanced at me for a few seconds. "All the same, Sasuke's a ninja belonging to the Hidden Leaf village. He's a comrade, and I'd lay my life on the line to help him, because that's the way of our village." he added, with complete seriousness in his eyes. "I know I usually seem like a pretty lazy guy, but not today. Now, I'm responsible for your lives too."

I sighed and couldn't help but smile. _"He cherishes our friendship that much?" _I thought. _"He really is an amazing guy, I've never seen this side of him before." _I licked my lips. _"I kinda like this side of Shikamaru I'm seeing now." _

"Wow, I never though I'd see Shikamaru acting like a Chūnin." Kiba chuckled. "Very impressive."

"_Indeed." _I agreed, mentally.

"Alright, let's move out." Shikamaru ordered.

* * *

"Wait!" called a female voice.

We all turned around and there was Sakura, standing right in front of us.

"Sakura?" I questioned, stepping forward.

Shikamaru held his arm out in front of me, halting my movement. "Lady Hokage told me everything." he stated, talking directly to Sakura. "Sorry Sakura, I can't take you on this mission. I know you tried, but even you couldn't stop Sasuke, could you?" he asked. "Now the only thing is for me to find him and for him to come back to the village. I'm sorry, but there's nothing else you can do for him."

Naruto gasped. "Does that mean, that Sasuke turned his back on you, Sakura?" he asked.

Tears welled in Sakura's eyes and fell down her cheeks. "Naruto, this is a once in a lifetime request. Just bring him home, please bring Sasuke back to me." she cried. "I tried everything I could, but I couldn't stop him from leaving the village." her shoulders were shaking, "At this point there's only one person who can stop him, only one who can save him. Naruto, it's all up to you."

"Oh Sakura." I sighed, walking up to her.

I pulled her into a gentle embrace, rubbing her back. She cried into my shoulder, her shoulders heaving.

"Well gosh Sakura, you must really care about Sasuke huh?" Naruto softly chuckled. "I get it, I bet deep down this must be really painful for you. I know you must be suffering."

Sakura gasped and looked at Naruto, so did I.

Naruto smiled and gave Sakura a thumbs up. "Don't you worry one bit, I'm gonna bring Sasuke back." he vowed. "I promise that on my life, Sakura."

I couldn't help but crack a smile. _"Nice statement Naruto." _I thought.

"Naruto, thank you so much." Sakura cried, hugging herself.

"Woah Naruto. That's quite a statement." Kiba pointed out. "Are you sure you should be promising her that we'll get him?"

"You bet!" Naruto replied. "When I give my work you can count on it. That's my ninja way."

I rubbed Sakura's arm. "I'm not gonna make that big a promise, but I will promise one thing." I told her. "I'll do everything I can to brig him back. He's my teammate too." Sakura looked up at me and nodded. I wiped the tears away from her eyes and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Be careful, Kristin." Sakura said, hugging me.

I nodded, returning the hug. "I will. If my dad comes back before we do, tell him everything."

"I will." Sakura replied.

I turned to rejoin the rest of the team, before another voice made me stop.

* * *

"Hold it." Kallera called.

I sighed, and slowly turned, seeing my little sister and older brother standing next to Sakura.

"A note, that's all you leave us with?" Kallera asked, holding the open scroll.

"I was hoping to be gone by the time you found that." I admitted.

"What's so urgent that you were going to leave like this?" Kallera asked.

"Sasuke left the village last night." Shikamaru answered, walking up to us, standing beside me. "I was ordered by Lady Hokage to put a team together to go after him, and Kristin was the first person I asked."

I nodded in agreement. "Exactly, and what kind of friend would I be if I didn't go?" I questioned.

Kallera wrapped her arms around my waist, crying into my chest. "I don't want you to go. It's gonna be dangerous."

"Such is the life of a ninja." I told her, hugging her back. "But, I promise I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Why can't you just let Shika and the others handle it?" Kallera whined, looking up at me with her big, blue eyes. "You don't always have to do the dangerous things."

I sighed, "Because that would mean me abandoning a friend." I said. "And dad told us that those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."

Kovu put his hands on Kallera's shoulders and pulled her away. "Just be careful, okay Kris." he said.

I nodded and gave him a tight hug. "Do me a favor bro?" I asked in a low voice.

"Anything." he replied, rubbing my back.

"Take care of Sakura while I'm gone." I told him, pulling away. "She could use a friend right now."

Kovu nodded, "Promise." he replied, kissing my forehead.

Shikamaru put his hand on my shoulder, "You ready Kris?" he asked.

I turned to him and nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready." I replied. "Let's get Sasuke back."

"Hey Shikamaru!" Kallera called. We both turned back in her direction. "If anything happens to her, it's on your watch."

Kovu lightly punched Kallera's shoulder. "She means, be careful and come back safely." he covered, smiling.

* * *

Shikamaru nodded and we walked back to the others.

"Okay, let's get going." I voted. "Otherwise, the trails gonna go cold before we even get started."

"These little interruptions cost us some time." Shikamaru added. "Move out."

"Roger that." Orchi agreed.

We turned our backs to the village and walked through the gate, officially entering the surrounding area of the Hidden Leaf village. I just hoped we would catch Sasuke before it was too late.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Shikamaru**: From this position, it's gonna be dangerous. Use your five senses and don't drop your guard.

**Naruto**: Roger that.

**Orchi**: If they catch onto our pursuit, couldn't they launch an ambush?

**Shikamaru**: Yes, that's why you need to keep your guard up at all times.

**Naruto**: You got it.

**Kiba**: Is he even paying attention?

**Choji**: Probably not.

**Shikamaru**: Why do I even bother trying to explain things?

**Kristin**: Save your breath, he won't listen anyway. Next time: **Sound vs. Leaf**.

**Neji**: I detect something up ahead. Be careful.


	72. Sound vs Leaf

**Sound vs. Leaf**

* * *

We leapt across the trees in our pursuit formation, making good time considering that we only left the village twenty minutes earlier. The nature of the mission still hurt my heart a little bit, but at the same time, my heart fluttered every time I looked ahead and saw the small distance between myself and Shikamaru. I shook off the butterflies and refocused on the mission at hand; that was catching up to Sasuke and bringing him back home to Konohagakure.

"_Why? Why would you leave us, Sasuke?" _I questioned, mentally. _"After everything we've been through as Squad Seven, you choose now to leave? I don't understand."_

I bit my lip in slight frustration to the many stirring questions running through my head. My ponytail bounced against my upper back as I kept pace within the formation. Despite the turning knot in my stomach, I managed to keep my senses on alert and focused on my surroundings, fulfilling my responsibilities within this team.

I felt a chilling wind blow past me and a shiver shot through my spine. _"That's not good." _I thought. _"Something went down a few yards ahead of us. I wonder what it could've been?"_

Apparently I wasn't the only one who felt that way, because I heard a faint whimper from Akamaru.

"Akamaru?" Kiba questioned, looking down at his small dog.

"What's the matter with him?" Shikamaru asked.

"He smells blood." Kiba answered. "Somewhere nearby."

I sniffed the air and slightly recoiled. "What happened Kiba?" I asked, "Can you tell?"

Kiba sniffed the air again. "Okay, here's what happened. The scent of two newcomers converged on the scent of Sasuke and four others." he informed the rest of us. "The two have stayed behind while the four have moved ahead."

"So what do we do now, Shikamaru?" Orchi asked from her position in the formation.

"Well it's just as I thought." Shikamaru muttered. "Sasuke's got an escort."

"The answer is obvious, we have to go after Sasuke." Naruto ordered. "No question."

I rolled my eyes and looked over my shoulder, "Who died and made you boss?" I questioned. "Last time I checked Shikamaru was the Chūnin here, making him in charge of the mission."

Naruto shot me a glare and huffed.

"Well Shikamaru?" Choji asked.

I looked ahead of me and could tell from his body language that Shikamaru was thinking about the situation.

"Since Akamaru smelled blood, my guess is that there was a battle between Sasuke's group and the two newcomers. If we go to the spot where they fought, we might be able to gather some useful information." Shikamaru told us. "But, we can't just rush in because it might be a trap. So we'll have to into full reconnaissance mode and take things slowly."

"And while we're doing that, Sasuke will have crossed over the border of the Land of Fire and it will be out of our hands." Neji replied.

"So Shikamaru, what's it gonna be?" Naruto asked.

There was a minute of silence before Shikamaru answered. "We follow Sasuke." he ordered.

"I knew you'd make the right choice." Naruto replied, smiling.

"One thing though." Shikamaru added.

"What?" I asked.

"These guys have already been in one fight so they'll be on their guard." Shikamaru answered. "Unless they're complete idiots they'll have to know that there's more ninja on their trail. So we might run into some booby traps or an ambush up ahead."

"I wouldn't put it past them." Orchi said. "Especially if Orochimaru sent them especially for this task."

I gulped and shivered at the thought of Orochimaru.

"So from now on, keep your guard up." Shikamaru ordered. "I want everyone, not just Akamaru, to have your senses on full alert. If anyone senses anything suspicious, sound the alarm."

"And once we catch up to these guys I'm gonna clobber them with this brand new jutsu I learned." Naruto chuckled.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I had this gut feeling that this mission was not going to be as easy as it sounded, since we are dealing with Orochimaru and his flunkies. I figured that this mission was going to be one of the hardest we've ever been on.

* * *

Akamaru let out a bark and we all suddenly stopped.

"Look up on that tree." Shikamaru said.

We all looked up and there was a paper bomb on the upper portion of the tree trunk.

"A paper bomb?" Orchi questioned.

"I bet there's five more of them." Neji predicted. "A perimeter barrier."

"A perimeter barrier?" Choji repeated.

"It's a type of trap ninjutsu." Shikamaru informed. "There's a small delay once the perimeter is breached to give the target just enough time to reach the center before the full effect of the jutsu activates." he bit his lip. "It's a tricky jutsu. I learned about it from a book my dad used to make me read."

Kiba groaned. "Now we have to waste time going around it."

"Maybe not." Orchi rebuked, rubbing her chin. "There is a way to nullify the perimeter barrier, but it's even more tricky."

"What'd you have in mind?" Shikamaru asked, looking in Orchi's direction.

Orchi smiled and bit the underside of her thumb, quickly executing the summoning technique. Her personal summon, Rin, appeared at her feet and hissed.

"What can I do for you, Orchi?" Rin asked, slithering up her leg and resting on her shoulder.

"Well, you see that paper bomb up there?" she motioned to the paper on the tree trunk. "I need you to nullify the perimeter barrier ninjutsu so we can get on our way. We're kinda on a tight schedule."

Rin hissed and nodded, "No problem." the snake replied, hissing.

I smiled and nudged Shikamaru's arm, "I knew she would be great for the team." I whispered, meeting his brown eyes.

Shikamaru returned my smile with his own, "I never doubted you." he replied.

Rin made four other clones and they dispersed to the other four paper bombs that made up the perimeter barrier, while the original stayed near us. Orchi placed her right index and middle fingers together in front of her face and closed her eyes.

Rin's eyes closed and then, an instant later, the snake sunk its fangs into the paper bomb.

"Done." Orchi said, opening her eyes and lowering her hand. "The trap's nullified, we can safely continue on ahead."

Rin hissed in agreement before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Nice one Orchi." Shikamaru praised.

Orchi smiled and nodded. We charged straight ahead, doubling our speed to make up for lost time.

* * *

As we walked through the forest, we noticed that trip wires had been set up as another trap.

"They seem to be moving fast and getting sloppy." Shikamaru noted.

We were careful to step over the trip wires.

"Watch where you step Naruto." Kiba warned. "I don't want you blowing us all up."

"I know okay." Naruto grunted, stepping over another wire.

"Naruto hold it!" Shikamaru yelled, reaching back to grab my arm.

He used his 'Shadow Possession' technique to catch Naruto's movements. I gripped his forearm to help steady him and used my other arm to grab Choji's scarf to keep my own balance.

"Didn't I tell you to watch your step you moron!" Kiba scolded.

* * *

We all huddled around the wires and that's when Shikamaru noticed something. "One wire is out in the open and is easy to see." he pointed out. "The other's camouflaged. When you're trying to avoid the first, you trip the second."

"A trap within a trap." Orchi simplified.

"Unlike all the other traps, this one is sloppy and easy to spot." Shikamaru said.

"It looks like they might've stopped to rest." Neji inferred. "Perhaps one of them is injured."

Neji activated his Byakugan and pinpointed the location of our enemies.

"Well then let's go!" Naruto voted. "I'm just dying to show these clowns what I've got."

"Is that right?" Kiba questioned, smirking. "Hate to disappoint ya hotshot, but I've got a new jutsu I've been working on too." Akamaru barked in agreement.

"Yeah, me too." Choji added.

"Alright, first we'll come up with a plan and get everything ready." Shikamaru ordered. "The, we'll nail these bastards."

* * *

We broke apart into smaller groups to put the plan into action. Orchi went off with Kiba, Naruto with Choji, and me with Neji and Shikamaru.

I knelt behind a bush between the two guys. "Bingo, got em." I whispered. "They're right where you said Neji."

I moved a little bit to the left so Shikamaru could get a better look. "It looks like we caught em napping." he noted. "Hold on, where's Sasuke?"

I narrowed my eyes to get a better look, and realized that Sasuke wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"He's inside that coffin." Neji answered, with his Byakugan activated.

"You don't mean he's dead." I gasped.

"It's been sealed with a barrier jutsu that's hard for me to see through clearly." Neji added. "Considering how much trouble they went through just to get him, I doubt they would kill him this quickly."

I gulped. "I hope you're right." I replied.

Shikamaru reached down and gently squeezed my hand. I glanced over at him and smiled, squeezing his hand back before moving it.

Then, one of the sound ninja tossed a kunai our way, with three paper bombs attached to the hilt. The kunai hit the tree, causing the paper bombs to ignite.

"Shit." I cursed, jumping away with Neji and Shikamaru.

The bombs went off, creating a massive and blinding explosion.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Retrieval Squad:** *overlapping arguing*

**Helena: **And this is what happens when you throw a team together with little experience in situations like this. Next time: **Squad Mutiny: Everything Falls Apart!**


	73. Squad Mutiny

**Squad Mutiny: Everything Falls Apart!**

* * *

Neji activated his Byakugan and pinpointed the location of our enemies.

"Well then let's go!" Naruto voted. "I'm just dying to show these clowns what I've got."

"Is that right?" Kiba questioned, smirking. "Hate to disappoint ya hotshot, but I've got a new jutsu I've been working on too." Akamaru barked in agreement.

"Yeah, me too." Choji added.

"Alright, first we'll come up with a plan and get everything ready." Shikamaru ordered. "Then, we nail these bastards."

I moved a little bit to the left so Shikamaru could get a better look. "It looks like we caught em napping." he noted. "Hold on, where's Sasuke?"

I narrowed my eyes to get a better look, and realized that Sasuke wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"He's inside that coffin." Neji answered, with his Byakugan activated.

"You don't mean he's dead." I gasped.

"It's been sealed with a barrier jutsu that's hard for me to see through clearly." Neji added. "Considering how much trouble they went through just to get him, I doubt they would kill him this quickly."

I gulped. "I hope you're right." I replied.

Shikamaru reached down and gently squeezed my hand. I glanced over at him and smiled, squeezing his hand back before moving it.

Then, one of the sound ninja tossed a kunai our way, with three paper bombs attached to the hilt. The kunai hit the tree, causing the paper bombs to ignite.

"Shit." I cursed, jumping away with Neji and Shikamaru.

The bombs went off, creating a massive and blinding explosion.

* * *

I hit the ground, hard, and skidded to a atop, landing right in front of the four sound ninja.

"Well, I thought I was flushing a snake out of the bushes." said one of the sound ninja, who had light blue hair. "But I all I got were three little mice."

Shikamaru stood up and held his hands up defensively. "Wait a minute, calm down." he pleaded. "Can't we talk this over like reasonable people?"

"Let's not forget your friends." said the darker-skinned sound ninja, who had multiple arms.

He tugged back and the other four guys were thrown near the rest of us. Kiba and Orchi cracked a small smirk and they each tossed two smoke bombs, creating an explosion.

The dark-skinned ninja scoffed. "Throw all the smoke bombs you want, these threads are so fine, nothing can cut them." he gloated. "You may have already encountered them in the forest."

"So that double trap of trip wires, was actually a triple trap." Shikamaru muttered. "Pretty clever, I guess that makes you the smart one of the group."

I reached out and helped Orchi up, and we both cracked a small smile.

The dark-skinned ninja smirked. "You're about to be the dead one." he threatened, but his moves were halted.

Orchi chuckled, "I guess this is where we say 'checkmate'?" she asked, smiling.

I nodded. "Yep." I answered her. "You and Kiba distracted them, and Shikamaru nailed them with his 'Shadow Possession' jutsu." I giggled.

The blue haired ninja chuckled and suddenly, shuriken cam at us from behind, distracting Shikamaru and breaking the shadow jutsu. The next second, the heavier-set ninja slammed his hands down on the ground, creating a dome like prison around the seven of us.

* * *

"What the hell?" Kiba yelled.

"Great." Shikamaru muttered.

"What is this?" Neji asked aloud.

"Earth Release Barrier: Earth Prison of Magnificent Nothingness." Orchi informed, looking around. Her eyes grew hard and she gritted her teeth, "Damnit, these bastards aren't messing around."

"So a barrier ninjutsu." I clarified.

"And we're stuck in it." Shikamaru added.

"Damnit." Orchi cursed.

Naruto punched part of the wall. "Let us out right now!" he yelled.

"Like that's gonna help." Kiba rebuked.

"Be careful, it might be another trap within a trap." Shikamaru warned.

"It appears to be nothing more than a dirt wall." Neji pointed out.

"Well, a walls a wall, and there's no wall I can't punch a hole through." Kiba spoke, his eyes hardening.

He slammed his hands together and used his clan's 'Tunneling Fang' technique to try and break out of the jutsu. The drawback of that was that a dust cloud was formed and it nearly suffocated us all, and a dent was barely even made. And to top it off, after Kiba's jutsu, the wall somehow healed itself.

"Hell of a lot of good that did." Orchi huffed.

Kiba shot her a glare and growled low in his throat.

Neji used his Byakugan and suddenly he gasped, and when it's a calm guy like Neji getting freaked out by something, any person with a shred of common sense would know something's wrong.

"The wall is…" Neji began.

"The wall is what?" Shikamaru pressed.

"It's absorbing our chakra, as if it were a sponge." Neji went on.

The rest of us gasped.

"Great, it's bad enough they trap us in this oversized dung heap, now they're trying to steal our chakra." Kiba huffed.

"You gotta give these guys credit for thoroughness." Orchi added.

She slid down next to me and there was really nothing we could all do except just sit there.

* * *

It wasn't long before all of us were leaning on the wall for support and drained of energy.

"As if stealing our chakra wasn't enough, we're gonna run out of air soon." Orchi said, leaning against the wall next to me.

I slowly breathed in and out, using the wall behind me for support. "And, since it's Orochimaru they're working for, they'll have no problem leaving us for dead."

"Well, I'm gonna bust us outta here, before my chakra's completely drained." Kiba spoke, popping a food pill in his mouth. He gave one to Akamaru and the pup's fur turned red suddenly.

The two went in for their combo attack, and created multiple dents in the dome wall and a few in the ground. The dents just slowly reformed yet again.

"Nice one dog breath, you just wasted what little chakra you had left." Orchi belittled. "And it did nothing."

"I'd like to see you try something, snake charmer." Kiba rebuked, glaring in Orchi's direction.

"I would, but my Earth style would just be cancelled out!" she yelled back. "Besides, it would be useless now, since I barely have any chakra."

"What we need is someone with Lightning natured techniques." Neji stated, glancing in my direction.

I met his eyes and shook my head, "I don't have enough chakra." I admitted. "Sorry to dash that plan."

I glanced towards the front of the dome and saw Shikamaru wrap a bandage around his arm. His posture was perfectly still, like he was thinking of some strategy to get us outta here, and if anyone could, it would be him.

"Hey out there! Let me talk to your leader, I've got a deal to propose." he said. "What I'm thinking is that you let us outta this thing, and in return we'll let you keep Sasuke."

"Is he serious?" Orchi whispered to me.

To be completely honest, I was wondering the exact same thing.

"Shikamaru, what are doin?" Naruto asked.

"No deal." replied the sound ninja who created the barrier. "I've never let a captive go before, and I'm not about to start now."

"Aw, come on. Listen, how 'bout you just let me go, and keep the others." Shikamaru negotiated.

That very comment sparked an argument amongst everyone else. I was totally lost at that point.

"If you're selling us out, I'm gonna wring your neck!" Kiba growled.

"Shut up Kiba." Shikamaru ordered. "For once in your life."

I couldn't help but crack a small smile.

"Seriously Kiba, all you're doing is making the situation worse for all of us." Orchi added, glaring in his direction.

The sound ninja holding us captive chuckled at the arguments going on. "You always see a man's true character when he's pushed to the edge." he stated. "Selling out Sasuke and the rest of your squad, so that's how a leaf Chūnin acts." he scoffed. "Not the best candidate for a leader."

"That's it Shikamaru, you dirty little traitor, let's take this outside!" Naruto threatened.

"How are you gonna take it outside idiot, we're trapped in here." Kiba reminded.

"What'd you say?" Naruto growled.

"I called you an idiot, idiot!" Kiba replied.

Naruto held Kiba in a chokehold, yelling at him.

"Seriously guys, this is not what we should be doing right now." Orchi spoke.

"Yeah, we need to stay focused here." I agreed.

She and I pulled Kiba and Naruto away from each other, trying to hold them at bay.

"All you're really doing is embarrassing yourselves and pissing the rest of us off." Orchi scoffed, letting go of Kiba's jacket.

I released Naruto, who was still fuming with anger. "You keep this up, I'm gonna kick your ass Naruto, and don't think I won't."

"Hey, if anyone deserves an ass-kicking it's that traitor over there!" Naruto rebuked, pointing to Shikamaru.

I slapped his hand down, "Don't push me knucklehead, I don't care if it takes the last bit of chakra I got, I will beat your ass." I spat, growling low in my throat.

"Damn Kris, what sparked that all of a sudden?" Kiba chuckled.

Orchi slugged his arm. "I agree with Shikamaru." she said. "For once in your life Kiba, shut the hell up."

"You wanna go at it right now, snake girl?" Kiba challenged.

"You wouldn't last five seconds in a fight with me." Orchi replied. "I'll neuter you faster than you can say bring it."

Orchi and Kiba locked glares, and it was Naruto and me who pulled them away from each other.

"Enough, everybody just stop!" Choji yelled, making all of us turn in his direction.

"Choji?" I questioned.

I heard something drop to the ground, and turned to see Shikamaru kneeling on the ground, his fingers placed together. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, _"You sly bastard." _I thought, smiling. I heard the sound of a chip bag opening and saw Choji chowing down.

"Screw this, I'm gonna give Shadow Clones a try." Naruto suggested, forming the seal.

"Hold it." Neji halted. "The wall repairs itself using chakra Shadow Clones won't work. Our only hope of getting out of here is Taijutsu strong enough to destroy the dome, in one blow."

"Well Choji's got Taijutsu with a knockout punch even stronger than mine," Kiba stated. "but he's got other things on his mind."

"So, how the hell do we get outta here?" Naruto asked.

* * *

Shikamaru cleared his throat and stood up. "Neji, I need you to focus your eyes on the wall behind you and directly behind Choji." he requested. "Think you have enough chakra left for that?"

"I think so." Neji replied.

"Wait," Naruto cut in "you're actually gonna listen to that good for nothin-"

I whacked him on the head. "You need to learn when to shut up too, knucklehead." I scoffed.

"What the hell Kristin!" Naruto yelled, looking at me.

"You still don't get any of this, do you?" I asked. "Do you remember what Shikamaru told us when he brought the team together?"

Naruto gasped and blinked, and I took that as a sign that he understood what I meant.

"Kiba, think you can put another dent in the wall behind Choji?" Shikamaru asked.

"Sure, I guess." Kiba answered. "I may not know what's goin on,"

"Shocker." Orchi cut in, smirking.  
"but I'm always up for gettin wild." he finished, ignoring Orchi's comment.

Kiba used his 'Tunneling Fang' technique and put more dents into the dome walls. The dents however, still repaired themselves, just like before.

"So what was the whole point?" Naruto asked, completely lost.

"As I said earlier, the wall has been infused with chakra." Neji reminded. "However, the strength of the chakra won't be uniform." he tossed a kunai knife and it hit one of the dents that was still repairing itself.

And that's when it all came together. Shikamaru had figured out that dents in the wall repaired more slowly than others, and he spoke to the ninja holding us the way he did, to get his location. That's when he figured out that the point in the dome with the least amount of chakra running through it would be opposite the position of our captor.

"Nice going Shikamaru." I complemented, in a low voice. _"He really is smarter than he lets other people know." _I thought, smiling. _"I can't believe this is the same Shikamaru I've known for seven years. He's like a totally different guy now."_

"Okay everyone, try to keep you're voices down." he told us, in a low voice. "Choji, are you ready buddy?"

"Shikamaru, I was born ready." Choji answered, smiling.

"Good, now let's get started." Shikamaru said, a smile across his face.

* * *

Choji used his 'Human Boulder' jutsu to break through the wall of the dome and we all escaped. The earth dome came crumbling down, much to the surprise of the sound ninja that held us captive.

"Well Choji, there's no other way of saying it." Shikamaru told him. "That was awesome."

Now it's time to let the real fight begin…

* * *

**Next time:**

**Kiba: **Whoa, Choji are you sure about this?

**Orchi: **Yeah, this is crazy.

**Neji: **Choji does have a point

**Kristin: **If we take any longer, we'll risk loosing Sasuke.

**Naruto: **This is still crazy

**Choji: **Don't worry, I have my own new technique that can take this guy down!

**Shikamaru: **You'd better catch up with us Choji. Got it?

**Kristin: **Next time: **I'll Always Believe In You…**

**To Be Continued…**


	74. I'll Always Believe In You

**I'll Always Believe In You…**

* * *

Choji used his 'Human Boulder' jutsu to break through the wall of the dome and we all escaped. The earth dome came crumbling down, much to the surprise of the sound ninja that held us captive.

"Well Choji, there's no other way of saying it." Shikamaru told him. "That was awesome."

Now it's time to let the real fight begin…

* * *

After the smoke cleared, I saw that the dome we were held in was now a pile of rubble.

"Looks like he's alone. Guess the others went on ahead." Shikamaru noted.

Neji used his Byakugan and confirmed that the other three ninja were gone, along with Sasuke.

Orchi bit her lip. "Well that sucks." she muttered.

"Here I thought we finally caught up with them." I added under my breath, wiping the dirt off my arm warmers.

The orange haired ninja clapped his hands. "Very impressive, not many people can break free of my barrier." he applauded. "I am Jirōbō of the South Gate, and I can say that guys have some nice handy work, for a bunch of losers."

That insult sent Kiba and Naruto charging towards Jirōbō.

"Wait you two, stop!" Neji called, halting the other two. "There's no way we can take him head on."

"We just tore through this clown's barrier, how tough can he be?" Kiba asked.

Orchi let out a sigh, "Oh, the fact that he's one of Orochimaru's hand-picked body guards." she answered.

Kiba huffed and charged in using his 'Tunneling Fang' technique, only to be thrown back by Jirōbō. Naruto went in, creating one Shadow Clone, and was again thrown aside. But, they didn't stay down and charged in again. Jirōbō used a different form of taijutsu to knock Kiba and Naruto back towards us. Orchi caught Kiba to lighten the blow, and I caught Naruto.

Jirōbō slammed his hand down on the ground, aiming to create another earth prison. But, thanks to Choji's quick thinking, using his 'Human Boulder' technique to stir up the ground and create a dust cloud as a cover so we all could escape.

* * *

We regrouped in another section of the forest, not far from Jirōbō, but out of his sight.

"We're running out of time." Shikamaru noted. He took a deep breath and exhaled. "There's no other choice, we have to split up."

We all looked in his direction.

"What would be the point in that?" Naruto asked.

"He's right." Neji agreed, activating his Byakugan. He looked in the direction ahead of us. "With all of our chakra taken away, even with the seven of us against him, he's not going to be easy to take out." he admitted. "And with each second that passes, Sasuke gets closer to the border. Once he crosses it, it will all be out of our hands."

"So what can we do?" I asked, looking from Neji to Shikamaru.

"Our best bet is to split into to groups." Neji voted. "One to fight Jirōbō, and one to follow Sasuke."

"You'll head the second team, okay Neji." Shikamaru told him.

Suddenly the ground began shaking and soon Jirōbō found us. A tree fell in between us, leaving me, Shikamaru, and Neji on one side and Orchi, Naruto, Kiba, and Choji on the other.

"Neji, I want you to take Orchi, Kiba, and Choji and head out after Sasuke." Shikamaru ordered. He looked at me, "Kristin and Naruto, you guys will stay with me and we'll handle this guy."

I nodded and stood ready. Shikamaru got down on one knee and prepared his 'Shadow Possession Technique'.

"Forget it, you already showed me that little parlor trick and once was enough." Jirōbō scoffed.

"Well I seem to remember someone being taken in by his little parlor trick." I taunted, smiling.

But, Jirōbō proved smarter than I gave him credit for because he smashed the ground around him to disrupt Shikamaru's shadow, nullifying the technique altogether.

"He's disappeared." Neji told us, using his Byakugan to see through the smoke.

Kiba sniffed the air. "He's behind us!" he warned.

We all turned around and saw Jirōbō slam his hands down on the ground. "Earth Style: Sphere of Graves!" he yelled, creating a massive boulder of earth, that easily could've killed us.

"Is he for real!" Naruto exclaimed.

"What the hell is he?" I gasped.

"A freakin monster, that's what." Orchi answered.

Jirōbō threw the massive boulder at us, but we dodged, barely.

* * *

We landed just a foot or two away from where the boulder landed. Then, the ground began to shake beneath us.

"Heads up you guys, there's another one coming!" Shikamaru warned us.

Jirōbō appeared from under ground and held Shikamaru captive, putting us all on edge.

"Shikamaru!" I called, aiming to charge in, but Orchi grabbed my arm and held me back.

"So you're the leader of this rag-tag group of ninja." Jirōbō noted. He then looked at the rest of us. "Well, when you have an idiot for a leader, the whole team suffers."

I bit my lip in frustration, using all my willpower not to charge in, not only because Jirōbō was insulting our squad leader, but he was insulting my best friend, and that's not okay with me. I cast a glance out of my peripheral and saw Choji narrow his eyes before meeting my gaze.

"Let me just get rid of him for ya!" Jirōbō had a creepy grin on his face as he tossed Shikamaru into a nearby tree.

I bolted to catch him with Choji behind me.

"Got ya." I grunted, catching my friend. Choji cushioned us with his 'Expansion Jutsu'.

"Thanks you two." Shikamaru replied, landing on his feet.

Jirōbō chuckled, "I try to do you guys a favor and this is how you react." he shook his head, still smirking. "I don't know which is worse, the fool or those who follow him. To put you all out of your misery, I'll just kill ya now."

I narrowed my eyes and gripped onto Shikamaru's arm.

"Why don't you shut your big mouth?!" Naruto yelled. "Or I'll come shut it for ya!"

"Naruto!" Choji cut in, standing up. "I'll handle him. This guy is mine."

I turned back to him and gasped.

"Choji that's great and all, but this is not the kind of guy you face alone." Orchi advised, and I could see the hint of worry in her eyes.

"He's mine, I said." Choji repeated, his eyes full of determination.

"Yeah, but Choji." Naruto muttered.

Choji reached into his pouch and pulled out a bag of food pills and handed them to Shikamaru. Despite all of us telling him to reconsider this, Choji stood ahead of us, staring down Jirōbō. He popped something in his mouth, a pill of some kind, but not a food pill.

Jirōbō charged towards us and Choji stopped him in his tracks. He used all of his strength to hold him at bay.

"Choji!" Orchi and I yelled in unison.

"Just go everyone!" Choji yelled back at us. "What did the seven of us come together for?" he asked. "If we loose Sasuke, we'll be just what this guy says we are, a stupid idiot of a leader and his band of rejects."

The rest of us were speechless, because deep down, we all knew that Choji was right.

"You'd better catch up with us Choji." Shikamaru told him. "You hear me."

"Yeah!" Choji replied.

"Alright you guys, let's go." Shikamaru ordered.

"Right." the five of us said in unison.

We took off to follow the remaining sound ninja while Choji took care of Jirōbō.

* * *

Neji tossed the bag of food pills to me and I popped one in my mouth. _"Thanks Choji." _I thought, smiling.

I tossed the bag to Naruto, who passed it to Orchi, then passed it to Kiba.

"What was that pill that Choji took back there?" I asked Shikamaru, glancing back over my shoulder.

"Yeah, were those three pills the secret weapon he was talking about?" Orchi questioned.

"Don't worry, Choji's gonna be fine." Shikamaru reassured us. "He brought along with the Akimichi Clan's secret triple threat. Pills that grant a person explosive power."

"So that's why he was acting so confident before." Naruto noted.

"Yeah, but something that powerful, always comes with side effects." Shikamaru added.

"What kind of side effects?" I asked, meeting Shikamaru's eyes. From the look in them, it was best I didn't know.

Akamaru let out a small whimper.

"What's he saying?" Orchi asked.

"Well you know how Akamaru can determine an enemies' strength just by his scent?" Kiba asked, the question directed to all of us. "He's worried that Choji might not be able to take on that gargantuan alone."

"Well if we look at this objectively, that giant's ability is an unknown." Neji inputted. "However, that is often the case in battle."

"Neji's right, that's just how a battle is." Shikamaru agreed. "We knew from the beginning that this mission wasn't gonna be child's play."

"Yeah, but Shikamaru," Naruto began to say.

"I've already anticipated the worst case scenario where each of us ends up fighting alone." Shikamaru informed. "At this point, if we're not ready to lay down our lives for this, we won't be able to reach Sasuke in time." he added, closing his eyes for a few seconds. "Choji's good enough to hold his own, but he doesn't have a lot of confidence." he continued, opening his eyes. "He thinks that out of all of us, he's the weakest link."

"Well that's because he kinda is." Kiba said. "That's probably the whole reason he stayed behind back there, because he thought he could be of some use to us."

Shikamaru and I glanced at each other and smiled.

"Just as I thought." Shikamaru stated, smiling. "Everyone's always thought that way about Choji, but us," he glanced at me, "we've always known the real truth."

I closed my eyes and smiled. "More than me or Shikamaru, or any of us here, Choji's got strength." I opened my eyes.

With all my being, I believe in Choji. I've always believed in him, and I always will believe in him.

* * *

After we traveled a ways, Shikamaru opted we stop and leave some sign for Choji to let him know the path we took so he could catch up to his. Shikamaru carved an arrow into the tree.

"He promised us he'd catch up to us." Shikamaru reminded, smiling.

"No doubt about it." Orchi giggled.

"If anyone can defeat that guy, it's Choji." Kiba added.

Naruto, Kiba, and Orchi all carved small messages around the arrow Shikamaru had carved. There was a small sprout coming from the tree trunk right next to the arrow. I took my butterfly clip from my ninja pouch, the exact same one that Choji had given me for my birthday, and I clipped it to the sprout.

"Alright guys, let's get Sasuke back before Choji catches up with us." Shikamaru voted, going on ahead. The rest of us soon followed.

I cast a glance to my right and could see in Shikamaru's eyes that he was worried about Choji, more so than the rest of us. And I couldn't blame him, they were close friends before I met them.

"He's gonna be okay, right Shikamaru?" I questioned, looking at him.

"Of course he is." he replied, giving me a small smile. "You know how Choji is, when he puts his mind to something, he'll finish it, no matter what the odds."

I smiled back and nodded. "Right." I agreed.

* * *

As we continued to follow the trail of the Sound Ninja I felt this sensation of numbness wash over me for a second. A silvery-blue butterfly flew right between Shikamaru and myself and we glanced behind us and watched as the butterfly vanished.

"What's wrong you two?" Naruto asked, noticing our expressions.

I swallowed back the tears I felt coming and glanced at Shikamaru.

"It's nothing." we both answered Naruto.

"_Choji." _I whimpered internally.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Retrieval Team: ***various grunts*

**Orchi: **Damn this guy.

**Kristin: **He's tougher than the last one.

**Shikamaru: **He managed to trap all of us.

**Naruto: **How can we fight this guy? His jutsu is unreal.

**Neji: **If we're going to continue on with the mission, there's only one thing to do

**Kristin: **Next time: **Your Opponent Is…**


	75. Your Opponent Is

**Your Opponent Is…**

* * *

Akamaru let out a bark.

"We're getting close." Kiba told us.

"It's been almost two hours and we haven't run into a trap." Orchi noted.

"They're getting cocky." Shikamaru said, referring to the other sound ninja. "They think we're all dead now and the big guy is the only one following them."

"So it would be stupid to set a trap for your own teammate." I pointed out.

"It appears we've been underestimated." Shikamaru added. "Meaning we can now catch them by surprise."

"How do you suppose we do that?" I asked, moving up beside him.

The plan was that one of us would transform into Jirōbō and catch up with the rest of the sound ninja while the rest of the squad would keep a small distance back to ambush them. With that posing as a distraction, we could swoop in, take the coffin containing Sasuke, and head back to the village.

* * *

"Wait a second guys." I halted, bringing the team to a halt. "I think they've caught onto us."

We hid in the bushes below and saw that the other three ninja had indeed caught onto our plan.

"What are they sayin Kiba?" I asked, since his hearing was better suited, given the distance.

"Well, those other two ninja's are named Sakon and Tayuya, and the third one staying behind is Kidōmaru." he answered. "Yeah, they're defiantly on to us."

Shikamaru broke the transformation jutsu and aimed to kick Kidōmaru, who in turn spat out a web-like substance that somehow glued Shikamaru to the opposite tree trunk.

"Okay guys, let's move!" I ordered, and we all diverged.

Naruto attacked with his 'Shadow Clone' technique, attacking from above. Kidōmaru jumped off the tree branch and created a larger spider web to trap Naruto and his clones.

"Naruto." I muttered, gritting my teeth.

"Let's hope Kiba and Akamaru can pull off their combo and give us our opening." Orchi said, locking eyes with me.

I nodded. "Yeah." I agreed.

Kiba and Akamaru charged in with their unique combo attack, and somehow Kidōmaru managed to dodge them.

"Damnit." Orchi cursed.

"Guess that's our cue." I sighed, looking at her. "You ready?"

Orchi smiled and nodded. "Let's go." she voted.

"You hit below and I'll hit above." I told her, breaking away.

* * *

I ran up the tree and hid behind the trunk and spotted Orchi near another set of bushes. She weaved the three signs Ram → Horse → Dragon

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon!" I heard her yell, as a huge dragon made of the forest floor rose up.

"_My turn." _I thought to myself, grinning. I wove the forty-four hand signs Ox → Monkey → Hare → Rat → Boar → Bird → Ox → Horse → Bird → Rat → Tiger → Dog → Tiger → Snake → Ox → Ram → Snake → Boar → Ram → Rat → Yang Water → Monkey → Bird → Dragon → Bird → Ox → Horse → Ram → Tiger → Snake → Rat → Monkey → Hare → Boar → Dragon → Ram → Rat → Ox → Monkey → Bird → Yang Water → Rat → Boar → Bird.

"Water Style: Water Dragon!" I yelled, creating my own dragon.

"Now take this you creep!" Orchi and I yelled in unison, maneuvering our two dragons to surround the dark skinned ninja.

Kidōmaru smirked and I saw the sun's ray catch a thin line of thread. "Nice try little girls." he taunted.

My jutsu and Orchi's clashed and created a shockwave that sent us both hurtling towards a tree branch. We both grunted once we hit it.

"Damnit we had him!" Orchi growled, rubbing her head.

"Just what the hell is he?" I asked, rubbing my own head.

Then, the two of us were covered in a sticky web, that seriously grossed us out.

* * *

Neji was the remaining member of the team to mount an attack, but Kidōmaru dodged him as well. And, to top it all off, he sealed Neji in some kind of cocoon thing made entirely of his weird spider thread.

"Damnit, this isn't good." Orchi growled.

It was a struggle to move under the web-like net covering us. It constricted our movements to the point where we couldn't weave hand signs nor could we reach for our ninja tools to cut the thing.

"This guy must be the trap master of the team or something." I muttered, struggling to move even an inch.

One of the Narutos was trying to cut the web he was trapped in, but it proved resistant.

Kidōmaru chuckled. "It's no use." he informed. "My spider silk is so strong, nothing can break it. Even two elephants couldn't pull it apart."

I gritted my teeth together, _"Damn, these guys really don't mess around." _I thought. _"How can we beat this guy if we can't even move?"_

"Kris, what can we do?" Orchi asked, glancing at me.

"I don't know." I answered.

Kidōmaru made a different kind of weapon from his spider web, yet it was different in color, and solid.

"Oh no, that doesn't look good." Orchi noted.

A sadistic grin spread across Kidōmaru's face as he readied the weapons he created. "Let's play a little game to determine which of you is the real one." he chuckled darkly.

He tossed each of the weapons down at Naruto and the shadow clones, and one by one he missed, until there was one Naruto left.

"Damn, Naruto's one lucky guy." Orchi said. "But, now I'm afraid his luck's run out."

Shockingly, the remaining Naruto was clone as well. The real one came up from behind Kidōmaru and aimed for a great punch, only for the sound ninja to block it. He used his thin silk to break his fall and land on another branch, and catch Naruto by the arm.

"Naruto!" I called, as he was pulled from the branch he landed on.

* * *

Then, out of nowhere, Neji came in and severed the thread, saving Naruto and bringing him to another branch.

"Neji?" Orchi questioned.

He went to help Kiba and Akamaru next, then Shikamaru, then finally Orchi and me.

"How the hell did you get out of that cocoon?" Orchi asked, shocked.

"I'll show you." he answered. "Hold still and don't move."

"No worries there." I told him.

Neji sliced trough the web netting, almost effortlessly, freeing us.

"Thanks Neji." Orchi said, brushing off her skirt.

"Yeah man, thanks." I added.

We joined the others on a branch opposite the one we were just on.

"You girls alright?" Kiba asked us.

Orchi nodded, "Yeah, we're fine." she answered.

I removed the remnants of the silk web from my clothes and hair. "I'm pretty sure the only think wounded is our pride." I added, rolling my eyes. "Nice fake out by the way, Naruto." I smiled at my teammate.

Naruto chuckled, "Thanks Kris." he replied.

Neji informed us that the jutsu Kidōmaru uses has is chakra based, and that he's the only one of us who could beat him.

"Go on you guys, I'll take care of him." Neji said, his voice laced with determination.

Akamaru whimpered and stepped back.

"Is he okay?" Orchi asked.

The small ninja hound jumped into Kiba's jacket. "Looks like this guy's stronger than that big guy we fought before." Kiba told us. "Way stronger."

I swallowed the lump that rose in my throat.

"We have to fight them one on one for any chance of success." Neji remembered. "Isn't that what you said, Shikamaru?"

"Yeah." Shikamaru confirmed. "That's what we agreed."

"Besides, if we all stay and fight, we won't be able to reach Sasuke in time." Neji added.

"But, what about Choji?" Kiba asked. "He still hasn't caught up with us yet."

"We all embarked on this mission to find Sasuke and bring him back home to the village." Neji reminded us. "But, that's not the only reason. We took this mission to rescue a fellow shinobi, to protect the bond of the Hidden Leaf Village."

I bit my lip in frustration, and clenched my fist tightly.

"Sasuke is out there right now, heading towards Orochimaru." Neji went on. "We can't allow such evil to take someone from our village." he turned to face Kidōmaru, "Now you guys, get going. I'll be right behind you."

"Alright, let's do this thing." Shikamaru voted.

Orchi cracked a smile, "When you catch up with us, make sure you bring Choji too." she added.

"Of course." Neji replied.

I placed my hand on his shoulder, "Be careful Neji." I said, before leaping away.

Each of us glanced over our shoulders as Neji stood on the branch alone.

"_Be safe Neji, hope we see you again." _I thought.

Kidōmaru threw another web attack our way, with solidified spears at the end points. Neji used his 'Gentle Fist' art of fighting and cut through the webbing.

"Nice save Neji, thanks!" Orchi called.

I nodded. The remainder of us picked up our pace and went on ahead.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Helena: **We started this mission out with seven young shinobi, and now we're down to five, and that number's just gonna get smaller. With two more sound ninja to deal with, and a new one joining the game, things are just gonna get harder.

Next time: **To Each Their Own…**

I just hope they all come out alive when all of this is finally over.


	76. To Each Their Own

**To Each Their Own…**

* * *

As we continued on, I was still thinking about Neji and I was hoping he was alright, considering how sadistic his opponent seemed to be.

"_We're gonna have to go one on one with these guys." _I remembered. _"With only two sound ninja left, and five of us, that means three will be left to get Sasuke out of that coffin and back home to the village."_

"_But, that's if Orochimaru doesn't send anyone else along the way." _Helena chimed.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

* * *

"Well guys, looks like it's just the five of us now." Kiba noted, roughly an hour later.

"I wouldn't worry about that, Choji and Neji are gonna catch up to us real soon." Naruto rebuked, smiling. "Choji's got his trump card with him. And don't forget, I fought Neji in the Chūnin Exams, so I know."

"Know what Naruto?" I asked, looking back over my shoulder.

"That Neji, is a true genius." Naruto answered, his smile widening.

I smiled and turned back to the front, wondering how Shikamaru is taking all of this, if he's come up with some sort of plan for the remaining two sound ninja.

* * *

The sun soon set and we were still in pursuit of the sound shinobi, and I was starting to wonder if we would ever catch Sasuke. I tried not to doubt everyone and try to stay optimistic, but given the circumstances, it was hard.

"Kristin, you okay?" Shikamaru asked me, moving back next to me.

I nodded, "Just noticing the sunset." I answered. "And starting to feel less than optimistic."

Shikamaru nudged my shoulder, "We'll get him, you'll see." he reassured. He handed the bag of food pills to me. "Eat one, it'll keep your strength up to travel through the night."

I took one of the small pills from the bag and popped it in my mouth. I then tossed the bag to Naruto, who tossed it to Orchi, who then tossed it back to me.

"Thanks Shikamaru." I told him, handing the bag of food pills back to him.

"Yeah sure, now will you tell me what's on your mind?" he asked, meeting my eyes.

I took a deep breath and exhaled. "My family, and Sakura." I answered, honestly. "She's probably worried about us. That's just who she is. And don't even get me started on my brother and sister."

Shikamaru took my hand and squeezed it. It was a sort of silent reassurance, which calmed me a little bit.

* * *

We kept our initial formation and continued to trail the two remaining sound ninja, the sky was a light shade of orange, with hues of purple and pink.

"We're getting close." Kiba told us.

"There's only two of them left." Orchi noted. "So once we catch up, we'll be able to out number them."

"Five against two, those are great odds to me." I giggled.

"The five of us will clobber those clowns!" Naruto exclaimed.

"What do you mean 'the five of us'?" Kiba growled. Akamaru let out a bark, mirroring Kiba's tone.

"Oh right, sorry Akamaru." Shikamaru apologized. "It's six against two, I like those odds even better."

"Agreed!" Ochi chimed from the back of the line.

"All the same, we're working as a team here, so remember the plan." Shikamaru told us. "We need to at least get them in range before the sun goes down."

"So, let's pick up the pace then." I voted.

* * *

The sun had set and the moon shone in the sky. We tightened up the formation so we would know where everyone was.

"They're just up ahead." Kiba told us. "Let's move faster."

"No, this is close enough." Shikamaru rebuked. "We'll keep them in range, but we won't attack until sunrise."

"What's the point in that?" Naruto asked. "What about Sasuke?"

"He's right." Kiba agreed. "If we're shooting for a surprise attack, won't it be more of a surprise if we hit em in the dark?"

"I agree with Kiba on that Shikamaru." Orchi followed.

"The darkness might give us a head's up on the initial point of contact, but after that we'll be at a disadvantage." Shikamaru informed.

"How so exactly?" I asked, slightly confused.

"Remember that our main objective is to get Sasuke away from them and back to the village." Shikamaru answered. "But that's not gonna be easy since these sound shinobi are highly skilled. So, getting Sasuke away from them will require precision and split-second timing."

"Okay, following you so far." Orchi drew on. "But, that still doesn't answer the question why we're at a disadvantage under the night cover."

"We can't just go in blind. Once those two realize what we're up to, they could fall back and guard Sasuke's coffin." Shikamaru went on. "Waiting for us to come to them, the advantage would be their's. Of course, things would be different if we had Neji and his Byakugan."

"What about me and Akamaru and our sense of smell?" Kiba asked, slightly irritated.

"I didn't forget about those sensitive noses of yours." Shikamaru answered. "But, in this part of the woods, they've got the geography in their favor. Once more, what's the point of attacking now, when my jutsu is completely useless. The moonlight's too dim and there's too much cloud cover in the sky."

"So basically, staying back is our best option." Orchi deducted.

I nodded. "I agree." I spoke, making everyone look in my direction.

"Why Kris?" Naruto asked.

I smiled. "Shikamaru's the team leader, so if he says we stay back, then we stay back." I answered. "If all of us can't work together as a team, we have no chance at getting Sasuke back." I looked back over my shoulder and met Naruto's eyes. "Getting Sasuke back is our top priority, and all of us need to be able to fight if we have any chance at achieving our goal." I turned back ahead.

"I just hope I'm right about this." Shikamaru murmured.

As we leapt across the trees, keeping our pace, I could feel Helena's spirit stirring inside. I didn't know if it was the adrenaline from the mission, the moon, or a mixture of both, but she was getting agitated, and that made me nervous. I didn't want that power to go out of control the heat of the battle I knew was coming up, because not everyone on the retrieval team knew about it, only Choji, Naruto, and Shikamaru knew the full extent of my demon seal and it's powers.

"_I'll come out, when you need me to." _Helena told me. _"You won't survive a fight with them, without me."_

I swallowed the lump in my throat and took a deep breath and exhaled heavily.

* * *

Once the sun began creeping over the horizon, we picked up our pace and caught up with the sound ninja no sweat.

"Great." the woman, Tayuya, grunted under her breath.

The five of us, six counting Akamaru, stared down the two sound shinobi. Of course, it was all really Naruto using his 'Shadow Clone' and 'Transformation' jutsus.

"Alright Kiba, go." Orchi whispered, once Naruto's main shadow clone held Sakon at bay.

"Let's go Kris." Shikamaru whispered in my ear and pulling me in another direction.

I hid on a lower branch while Shikamaru took a higher one where his 'Shadow Possession Jutsu' could be effective.

Kiba used his 'Tunneling Fang' technique to get Sakon, who barely dodged it. His momentum kept up and he was heading directly for Tayuya, while Orchi used her Snake Vine jutsu to tangle Sakon in mid air. To keep Tayuya still in Kiba's line of attack, Shikamaru used his 'Shadow Possession Jutsu'.

Kiba spun right over the coffin containing Sasuke and grabbed it with ease, a cocky grin on his face.

"_Nice one Kiba." _I thought, smiling and changing my position.

Kiba tossed the coffin out over the trees and I jumped up and caught it.

"Nice catch Kris!" Orchi called, jumping down from the branch she was on.

"Thanks." I giggled, landing next to Naruto.

"Let's go." Naruto said, taking the coffin from me and heading back the way we came.

Kiba and Orchi followed Naruto.

"Come on Shikamaru, let's pull out!" I called, following Orchi and Kiba.

Shikamaru released his jutsu and caught up to me, quickly.

"I knew that plan would work." I giggled, looking over at him.

"They let their guard down and gave us the opening we needed." Shikamaru replied. "Sometimes being so sure of your own strength, can be one big weakness."

"I'll take your word for it." I agreed, smiling.

We doubled our pace to put as much distance between us and the sound shinobi as possible.

* * *

I glanced over my shoulder and gasped. "Uh, Shikamaru. Trouble, six o'clock." I warned.

Sakon was following us with a look of murder in his eyes. He had marks on his body, similar to the ones that appeared on Sasuke every time he used the Cursed Seal of Heaven. Only, his marks resembled ink stains instead of small flames.

"Great, that's so not what we need right now." Shikamaru muttered.

"He's gaining on us." Orchi said through gritted teeth.

"Well, we just need to outrun him." Naruto voted, picking up his pace.

The rest of us kept up. But Sakon wasn't giving up either.

Unbeknownst to him, we had Akamaru set paper bombs ahead. We jumped right over and the small ninja dog let out a bark.

"Nice job Akamaru, once you're done setting the bombs, keep moving." Kiba ordered.

Akamaru barked in response.

Sakon tripped the first paper bomb and set off the others, creating a massive explosion. We halted our run to see the handy work.

"Good boy Akamaru." Orchi giggled.

"I can't believe he walked right into that." I sighed, shaking my head.

The explosion caused a few of the trees to fall over and catch fire.

"Timber!" Orchi and I yelled in unison, giggling afterwards. We slapped a high five.

"Very professional girls." Shikamaru sighed.

But, our celebration was short lived because Sakon came charging through the smoke. He used wire to bind Akamaru to the tree branch to keep him still.

"Akamaru no." Kiba called, jumping back to help his canine partner.

"Kiba no." Orchi called after him, I halted her.

The paper bomb went off, creating another explosion. I heard Kiba scream and then nothing.

* * *

As if loosing those two wasn't bad enough, Tayuya was coming right at us.

"Damnit, that bitch again." Orchi cursed.

"We don't have a choice, I'll handle her." Shikamaru told us. "You guys take the coffin and carry on with the mission."

I gasped and turned to face him. "Shikamaru no." I muttered.

"We're all out of options Kris." Shikamaru replied, meeting my eyes. "This is what needs to be done for the good of the mission."

Tayuya suddenly gasped and halted her pursuit, landing on one knee. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Then, it seemed like a second later, Sasuke's coffin was taken away from us. A new sound ninja had joined the game, and I got the worst kind of vibe from him. He had pale skin, vivid green eyes, masculine facial features, two scarlet dots on his forehead, and shoulder-length white hair, which he wore divided down the middle on his head with two separate partings on either side of his face. He wore a light lavender, loose-fitting, long-sleeved, zip-up shirt, black pants cut off around mid-calf, bandages wrapped around his ankles, traditional shinobi sandals, and a purple, rope-like belt tied in an inverted bow around his waist. Three curved lines in a circular pattern were located at the base of his throat, and it reminded me of Sasuke's curse mark.

"Kimimaro." Tayuya said.

"You were taking too long, Tayuya." Kimimaro replied, his face expressionless. "And what of our comrades, what happened to our other three men?" he asked. "This coming from the former members of the Sound Ninja Five."

"Sound Ninja Five?" Orchi repeated, her eyes widening.

"How is this possible?" Tayuya asked. "By now your body should be…" she trailed off.

"My body is to devastated to move on it's own anymore." Kimimaro answered her. "I'm using the power of my mind."

"So now you're cheating Death?" Tayuya questioned, a look of slight fear in her eyes.

"I'm capable of much more since escaping the bonds of human flesh." Kimimaro stated, rubbing the top of Sasuke's coffin. "I've had a taste of Lord Orochimaru's magnificent powers."

I clenched my teeth and bit my lip. Just the mere mention of his name made my blood boil and brought back those painful memories of the second stage of the Chūnin Selection Examinations.

In the midst of my internal rant, Naruto stood up and clenched his fist. "Listen here you jerk, I've enough of this nonsense you're yakking about." he growled. "I'm taking Sasuke back right now!"

"Hey wait a sec Naruto!" I called, just a second too late.

Naruto charged towards Kimimaro, only to be punched square in the face by Tayuya. I gasped and jumped down on the next branch and caught him.

"You reckless jackass." I scolded, helping steady him. Orchi and Shikamaru joined us.

After whispering something in Tayuya's ear, Kimimaro took the coffin and left.

"Sasuke." Naruto muttered. "We have to go get him."

"Just calm down Naruto." Shikamaru told him.

"How can I calm down?" Naruto questioned. "We're loosing him."

I grabbed his arm. "We can't just rush in with opponents like them." I warned. "They are far out of our league. We have to be smart about this."

"Kristin's right." Orchi agreed. "After all, these are Orochimaru's hand picked bodyguards we're dealing with."

"I've got a plan you guys." Shikamaru told us. "And for it to work, we have to follow it exactly."

We all turned to him and Shikamaru told us the plan in a hushed whisper. He was going to distract Tayuya while Naruto, Orchi, and myself would chase after Kimimaro and get Sasuke's coffin back.

"I'm counting on ya Kris, I know you guys can do this." he said, locking eyes with me. "It's up to you now."

"No pressure or anything." I muttered.

"Three against one, I like those odds." Orchi said, shrugging her shoulders.

I was still uneasy about the whole thing. A part of me wanted to chase after Kimimaro and get Sasuke back, but another part didn't want to leave Shikamaru to face Tayuya alone.

"We knew this would happen eventually." Shikamaru reminded. "This is our last option if we want this mission to be a success."

I sighed. "Fine." I caved.

We stood up and began to put the plan into action.

"It's four against one, we've got the advantage here." Orchi spoke, grinning.

"If we gang up on her, it's over." I added.

Shikamaru pulled out a kunai knife and charged in with Naruto at his side, me and Orchi were right behind him.

Tayuya blocked Shikamaru's kunai with her flute. I smiled and placed the palms of my hands on Tayuya's head, flipping directly over her, with Naruto and Orchi on either side of me.

"Fooled ya!" Orchi giggled, flipping the bird at Tayuya.

I winked and giggled before hightailing it outta there. I cast a glance over my shoulder and Shikamaru met my eyes for a split second. He gave me a reassuring nod and a smile.

"_Please be careful Shikamaru." _I thought, biting my lip to suppress the tears. _"I can't loose you too." _

This was it, the final obstacle before getting our objective. This next fight will an all or nothing battle.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Orchi**: Okay, this guy's kekkei genkai is pretty freaky.

**Kristin**: His striking speed is unbelievable. He's destroying all those clones like they're nothing.

**Helena**: And from what I'm sensing, he's the least of our worries.

**Kristin**: Next time: **All or Nothing… **What the hell is that?


	77. All or Nothing

**All or Nothing…**

* * *

I cast a glance over my shoulder and Shikamaru met my eyes for a split second. He gave me a reassuring nod and a smile.

"_Please be careful Shikamaru." _I thought, biting my lip to suppress the tears. _"I can't loose you too." _

This was it, the final obstacle before getting our objective. This next fight will an all or nothing battle.

* * *

I leapt across the tree branches with Naruto and Orchi trailing me. My determination was stronger than before, since we were so close to the mission goal. I knew the fights to come were not gonna be easy, but I was ready to give it my all.

We caught up with Kimimaro when he landed in an open field.

"Let me see." Kimimaro said, looking right at us. "How shall I kill the three of you?"

Orchi and I stood our ground and narrowed our eyes.

"He's strong." Orchi whispered to me. "How can we beat him."

I swallowed the lump rising in my throat. "We'll just have to be smart about this." I answered, semi-assured.

An ominous breeze blew past us, setting the tone for the upcoming fight.

"Tell me what Orochimaru's planning to do." Naruto growled, his eyes blazing red. "And why the hell he wants Sasuke so bad."

I glanced at my teammate and saw his canine teeth were sharper and the whiskers on his face were so pronounced. His eyes were blazing red and his pupils were slitted.

"_Kurama's chakra is leaking through." _Helena noted. My seal pulsated in response, but I kept my composure.

"Lord Orochimaru has already acquired the Immortality jutsu. But it takes time to obtain every jutsu." Kimimaro replied in response to Naruto.

Orchi let out a small growl at the mention of Orochimaru's name and her eyes narrowed. "So what does all of that have to do with Sasuke?" she asked, clenching her fists.

"Just because his soul is immortal, doesn't mean his body can sustain it forever." Kimimaro added. "So before his flesh decays, a strong, new body must be made into a vessel for his soul."

"_That bastard actually has a soul?" _Helena scoffed, making me smile.

"So, you're saying he's gonna use Sasuke's body?" Naruto questioned.

Kimimaro prepared a fighting stance. "That's right." he confirmed. "Precisely."

Naruto's chakra grew and created a blast of heat.

"_This is it." _I thought. _"Tine to put it all out there on the line." _

I pulled out a 'Water Summoning Scroll' and held it between my fingers, forming the 'Ram' sign. "Alright you two, let's show him what we're really capable of."

Orchi smiled in agreement and pulled out an 'Earth Summoning Scroll' and weaved the same sign I did. We nodded to each other and jumped into the air, unraveling the scrolls, scraping our blood along the inside, spinning them around us.

"Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu!" I yelled, forming the clone seal.

"Earth Style: Earth Clone Jutsu!" Orchi yelled, at the exact same time I did, also forming the clone seal.

At that moment, Naruto created at least two hundred Shadow Clones that surrounded Kimimaro. Orchi and I landed in the midst of them, along with the clones we created.

"Very interesting." Kimimaro noted, looking at the dozens of clones surrounding him.

"You're not taking Sasuke anywhere!" Naruto growled.

"There sure is a lot of garbage scattered around here." Kimimaro insulted, his eyes cold. "But, all the same, trash is just trash. It just needs to be cleaned up."

"Shut your mouth!" Naruto ordered, orange chakra enveloping him.

His nails elongated into claws and his teeth sharpened. Soon, the orange chakra enveloped all of Naruto's clones. A group of them charged forward, all the while Kimimaro just stood there.

I heard grunts of pain coming from the shadow clones, and soon they all vanished, and Kimimaro stood without even a scratch.

"_Just who, or what, the hell is this guy?" _I asked myself, keeping my eyes on him.

"What do you suppose he did just now?" Orchi whispered to me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm not sure." I answered. "But let's try and find out."

She and I looked at each other and nodded. We both sent five of our own clones in to attack. As I stood and focused on the clones, I gauged Kimimaro's fighting style, or tried to. I felt the residual pain, like being stabbed by a blade of some kind.

I took a step back. "Damn, he's quick. I'll give him that." I muttered, shaking off the recoil.

"It's time to get serious." Kimimaro stated. "I'll end this quickly."

"I don't like the sound of that." Orchi muttered.

I nodded in agreement.

More of the clones charged in, but ended up being destroyed by Kimimaro's weapon, which was an ivory blade of some kind.

"Damn, he's fast." I noted, dodging a kunai that one of Naruto's clones had thrown.

"We can't even get close enough to land a solid hit." Orchi added, standing next to me. "Our clones are getting slaughtered. What do we do Kris?"

I chuckled, "If you're looking for a strategy, you're talking to the wrong Shinobi." I told her. "That's Shikamaru's department."

Orchi nodded, "Great." she muttered.

* * *

After dispatching more of our clones, Kimimaro took another stance. "And now, time for the Willow Dance."

"The what?" Orchi questioned.

"I have a felling we're not gonna like it." I added.

Suddenly, Kimimaro charged in and destroyed all of the clones in his way. He moved with such grace and speed, it was hard to track him completely.

I focused my charka and activated my Sharingan, keeping my attention focused on Kimimaro himself. I watched as a group of Naruto's clones, mine, and Orchi's jumped up and surrounded Kimimaro. I saw a change in the generic flow of his chakra.

"What the hell?" I asked, not moving my eyes.

When all the clones were destroyed, I saw more ivory blades sticking out of Kimimaro's body. He landed gracefully, without even a scratch.

"Now you know." Kimimaro informed. "This is my Kekkei Genkai."

I deactivated my Sharingan and sighed, _"Great, as if things couldn't get any worse for us." _I thought. _"What kind of Kekkei Genkai is that?"_

Kimimaro unzipped his shirt and pulled down his left sleeve. Then, a bone suddenly came out of his exposed shoulder, and he pulled it out, holding it like a sword.

"It won't be long now." he predicted, holding the sharpened weapon out towards us.

I stepped back and a shiver went through my body. I glanced over at Orchi and her eyes were wide, and she was visibly shaking.

"_We're in for a challenging fight." _Helena told me, and I felt a rush of wind blow past me.

I gulped. "Damn." I muttered.

Naruto tossed a few shuriken at Kimimaro, but that did nothing. The bone sword just cut through the shuriken like they were made of paper.

"This is no ordinary bone." Kimimaro told us. "It's of the highest density, making it stronger than tempered steel."

"Damn, this guy is unreal." Orchi muttered. "How can we beat him?"

I gulped, unable to answer. _"I'm wondering the exact same thing."_

"It doesn't matter." Naruto growled. "I'm still gonna break every bone in, or out of your body."

Kimimaro just smirked. "You think you know the limit of my powers?" he questioned. "I have five dances in my repertoire. You three have only seen one."

"Whatever." Orchi huffed, putting on a brave face. "We'll still beat you."

"Well then, let's continue." Kimimaro suggested. "Next I'll show you the Camellia Dance."

"Bring it." I prided, then regretting it the second it said it.

"If that's really what you want, I'll show the next dance." Kimimaro repeated, preparing a stance.

"What are you waiting for?" Naruto asked, gritting his teeth.

"You shouldn't be making such brash statements," Kimimaro informed. "When you can't back them up."

Naruto and all his clones charged in and tossed shuriken from all directions. But, Kimimaro just cut through them like nothing.

"I already told you, this bone is stronger than steel." Kimimaro repeated. "Perhaps I should just show you how strong it really is."

Groups of clones charged in, and were cut down almost effortlessly. I winced at the recoil of my water clones being stabbed with that bone sword.

* * *

I jumped back and created more water clones from the puddles left behind, and managed to get within a few feet of Sasuke's coffin, which now had purple steam coming out of it.

"_That doesn't look good." _I thought.

Kimimaro continued to cut down all the clones, with no effort at all. If he wasn't so scary good, I would almost be in awe of how graceful he really was.

I decided to jump to offense by having my clones do more than just basic attacks. I waited until a few of them were destroyed, so the technique could have more power. Once Kimimaro landed on the ground, I wove the signs Monkey → Rat → Tiger → Dragon → Horse → Dragon.

"Water Style: Mouth of the Serpent!" me and my clones said in unison.

A large snake rose from the water on the ground and struck Kimimaro from above. My clones threw in some shuriken before landing on the ground.

"_Please tell me that had some effect." _I begged.

"Water Release, very impressive, young one." Kimimaro said, with a slight chuckle.

He suddenly jumped and destroyed my clones that initiated the attack, leaving two decent-sized puddles in the middle of the battlefield.

"But not impressive enough to hold a candle to my skills." he added, his eyes cold.

"Damn." I cursed.

"He's freakin impossible to fight." Orchi noted, clenching her fists. "What is his weakness?"

"_If we had Shikamaru with us, he could tell us the answer to that very question." _I thought, biting my lip.

At that moment, an echoing scream caught my ears and I gasped. I turned my head in the direction of the forest, where the scream was coming from. I recognized it instantly.

"Shikamaru." I muttered, biting back tears. _"Please be okay. Please, please be alright." _I pleaded on my mind.

"_That's not our only worry, sweetie." _Helena reminded.

I turned my eyes towards the coffin and saw the steam getting thicker. I still didn't know what that meant, but it wasn't looking good.

* * *

Soon, our clones were dwindled down to nothing. One attack later, they were all gone, leaving just the three originals.

"And then there were three." Kimimaro said, looking right at us.

"Damnit, this guy is impossible." Orchi cursed.

I bit my lip and nodded in agreement. I clenched my hands into fists and took a deep breath, exhaling. "Orchi, I'm gonna need you to cover me." I told her, meeting her eyes.

"Why?" she asked.

I activated my demon seal to stage one, the crimson marks covering my body. "Because I'm gonna see if I can land a scratch on him." I answered, my eyes blazing with the Sharingan. "Use your Earth Style to cover me."

"You have a plan in mind?" Orchi questioned.

I shook my head. "Not my department." I reminded. "I'm the impulsive type who follows her instincts."

"Is that Helena talking?" Orchi whispered.

I smiled, "It's more of a mutual agreement." I replied.

Orchi nodded, she wove a few signs and stood a few steps behind me.

Kimimaro's eyes widened as I stepped forward. "Oh, so you wanna be the first to die?" he asked.

I shook my head, "I don't plan on dying today." I growled, breaking into a run.

Kimimaro braced himself, taking a defensive stance. I jumped up into the air, just in time for Orchi's jutsu, Earth Style: Mud Wolves, to kick in. The three wolves charged in for the kill, only for Kimimaro to cut them down. I whipped out a kunai knife to block the bone sword being swung towards me.

"You're quick, young one." Kimimaro said, meeting my eyes.

"Daughter of the Copy Ninja." I told him. "Quickness runs within the genetics."

Kimimaro cracked a small smile before swinging his sword again, and I blocked it. "Sorry, but you've underestimated my Kekkei Genkai." he informed, a hint of regret in his voice.

Before I could ask why, I suddenly felt two sharp jabs in my abdomen.

"Kristin!" I heard Naruto and Orchi scream.

Kimimaro grabbed me by the collar of my top and threw me back. I hit the coffin and landed in the grass. Orchi jumped over Kimimaro, dispelling her jutsu, and landed next to me.

"You alright?" she asked, helping to a kneeling position.

I spit out blood. "I was just stabbed by two of his ribs." I told her. "But I've been through worse than this, so yeah, I guess."

Kimimaro suddenly chuckled. "It's time." he said. "The first step to achieving Lord Orochimaru's design."

More steam rose from the coffin and the tags ripped off the sides of the lid.

"What the hell?" Orchi muttered.

"We need to move." I warned.

I wrapped one of my arms across Orchi's shoulder and we jumped a foot or two away from the coffin, just as it exploded, creating a blinding light.

Once the smoke cleared, I placed my hand over my mouth. "Sasuke?" I whispered.

"No way." Orchi gasped.

Naruto let out a chuckle, and his features seemed to return to normal. "Hey Sasuke! What ya doin, hangin around these losers for?" he called. "C'mon buddy, let's go home!"

Sasuke just looked down at his hands and laughed, completely ignoring us.

"Sasuke?" I questioned, standing up.

All I saw was Sasuke crack a smile and he laughed again, and it sent chills down my spine.

"What the hell man!" I yelled, "Talk to us!"

Instead of answering us, he just bolted into the forest.

"Sasuke!" I yelled, along with Orchi and Naruto.

I bit my lip and suppressed the urge to growl. I activated my seal once more. "Orchi, you and Naruto stay here and deal with Kimimaro." I ordered. "I'll get Sasuke."

"Kris, you can't do this alone." Orchi told me.

"I promised Shikamaru I would finish this mission." I reminded. "I'm not gonna let him down."

I ran after Sasuke, pushing my seal to Stage Two. _"I'm not gonna let you get away, Sasuke." _I said mentally. _"Not when we've gotten this close."_

* * *

I managed to keep up with Sasuke, who seemed to be faster than I remembered.

"Sasuke, slow down!" I called after him. "Talk to me! What's goin on with you? Sasuke!"

He didn't answer me. Instead he threw a dew shuriken at me, and I threw my arms up to block them. My arm warmers absorbed most of the impact, but I kept on going. I got right behind him, when he kicked me in the chest, then tossed me into a nearby tree.

I coughed up blood and shook off the wave of dizziness. "What the hell man?" I grunted, leaning against the tree trunk.

Sasuke never answered me, he just continued fighting me with extreme taijutsu. I managed to dodge some near fatal hits, but he did land blows in my upper abdominal area and my chest.

I got down low and swung my feet from under him, and aimed to sock him in the jaw, which connected.

I stood panting, wiping the blood from my mouth. "Now are you gonna talk to me?" I asked. "Or am I gonna have to get a little more violent." I bared my canine teeth to further the point.

Sasuke chuckled darkly. "You're gonna have to go full demon to even be on the same level as me." he informed.

I scoffed. "What the hell is the matter with you?" I questioned, "Because this is the Sasuke I know."

"People change, Kris." Sasuke replied, grabbing my arm and tossing me to another branch.

I grunted when I landed and braced myself for another hit. I threw my arms up to block Sasuke's next punch, and I kicked him in the chest to push him off. He landed on the higher branch in front of me.

I was gasping for breath now and my seal regressed to stage one. "Please Sasuke, just come home." I begged. "We can talk this out. There's other ways to get stronger." I added, keeping my eyes on him. "Naruto and I came all the way out here, Sakura was in tears when we left her. Please Sasuke, come-"

"I'm through playing ninja with you." Sasuke cut me off. "I can't get the power I need in by staying in the Leaf." In a flash he was standing right next to me, facing behind us. "We're through." and that was when I felt a sharp pain in my stomach.

"Sasuke." I whimpered. I coughed and blood tricked down my lip.

I slid down the trunk of the tree and held my hand over the stab wound in my stomach. Sasuke stood over me and a grin crossed his lips. Then, he decked me in the face and everything blacked out.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Kristin**: What happened? We were doing so well, making progress on Teamwork. We had a good thing going, what triggered this sudden change? Why is everything going straight to hell? Is this the end of Squad Seven?

Next time: **When Did It All Go Wrong?**

* * *

**A/N: **So sorry for the long wait, I was trying to plan on how to write this since it spans over more than two episodes. Anyway, hope you enjoy^^ Read and review, **no flames**.


	78. When Did It All Go Wrong?

**When Did It All Go Wrong?**

* * *

"Kristin?" I heard a voice say. "C'mon Kris, wake up."

I stirred and when I opened my eyes, I saw Naruto kneeling in front of me.

"Naruto?" I questioned, wincing.

"Kris, what happened to ya?" he asked, helping support me.

I winced at the pain shooting through my body. I leaned against the tree trunk and took a shaky breath. "Sasuke." I answered. "He did this to me."

Naruto gasped. "Really, he did?" he questioned.

I nodded, gasping in pain. "Naruto, he said he's through with us. Squad Seven, the village, all of it." I felt a tear roll down my cheek.

"I'm gonna beat him to a pulp, and then drag him back to the village." Naruto said through gritted teeth.

I took in another breath and exhaled. "If anyone can reach him, it's you." I admitted, leaning against the tree trunk. "It's all up to you now, Naruto."

Naruto stood up and gave me the thumbs up. "I promise, I'll get him back."

I smiled in reply and watched as he ran ahead, his blue eyes full of determination. I chuckled lightly and sighed heavily. My eyes drifted close and darkness took over.

* * *

{Dream/Flashback}

The sun rose over the Hidden Leaf Village and I was ready to face the day ahead. Today was the orientation, meaning today was the day that all of us new genin would be assigned to our ninja squads.

I jumped out of bed and quickly changed. I pulled my hair into a ponytail with a black rubber band, then I tied the forest green ribbon around it. I was just about to tie by new headband around my waist, when my father knocked on my bedroom door.

"There's my little Kunoichi." he smiled.

"Hi daddy." I smiled back. My father held in his arms a nicely wrapped box tied with a white ribbon. "What's that?" I asked.

"Oh this?" dad questioned. "It's a present from your mother."

I gasped. "Really? I thought a lot of her stuff was destroyed in the fire?" I asked.

"Most of it was, yes." daddy clarified. "But this was somewhere safe and unharmed. She had just finished it and was going to keep it safe until this day."

I took the box from my father and carefully opened it. Inside was a custom made headband for me. It had the silver plate with the hidden leaf symbol carved into it, and it was perfectly sown into a forest green cloth.

"Beautiful." I gasped, holding the headband in my arms. Also inside the box was a small, folded, piece of paper. It was a note from my mother and it said 'Dearest daughter, I have made this for you, knowing you would one day wear it as a Hatake Kunoichi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Green has always been your color and I knew this cloth would suit you well. I know you will wear it with pride and honor, and you will grow to be a fine ninja. With all the love, your mother, Kagome.'

I also found a small picture of me and my mom. She was holding me in her arms and we were wearing matching kimonos for the Founding Festivals. I felt the tears come from my eyes and lightly cried.

I wiped the tears away and tied my new headband around my waist. I overlooked myself in the mirror and smiled.

"Have a great day." dad said, placing his hands on my shoulders.

I turned to him and hugged him. "I love you dad."

"Love you too Kristin." he replied, kissing my forehead.

I smiled and jumped out of my window and headed for the Academy. I just couldn't wait until I was assigned to my new team of ninja.

When I walked in the room, I saw it was packed full of new genin.

"Wow." I gasped. "This many graduated?"

"Apparently." Shikamaru answered.

I pointed out two seats up on the back row walked up the stairs. Sasuke and Naruto were in the desk in front of us. I took my seat.

"Huh what are you doing here Naruto?" Shikamaru asked. "This isn't for dropouts, you can't be here unless you've graduated."

Naruto pointed to his forehead. "Oh yeah? Look at this," he said. "open your eyes Shikamaru, it's a regulation headband."

I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Looks like we're going to be training together from now on." Naruto added, giggling.

Shikamaru huffed and walked up the stairs and sat down next to me. A few seconds later, the doors busted open and Sakura and Ino barged in, gasping for air.

Soon all the girls piled in, all arguing about who would sit next to Sasuke, which was a typical argument that happened every day for the past five years.

"Wow those girls are clueless." I sighed.

"How come you don't join them?" Shikamaru asked, smirking.

"Please, I have much more important things to do than fawn over a guy." I answered, flicking my ponytail back.

Annoyed, Naruto got onto the desk and stared at Sasuke right in the eyes. All I could do was sigh in annoyance myself.

"Hey Naruto!" Sakura yelled. "Stop glaring at Sasuke."

From the glares that Sasuke and Naruto were giving each other, you could almost see lightning sparks in between them.

Another genin that was in the desk in front of Naruto, accidentally bumped him. This caused Naruto to tumble forward and…much to all of our surprise…the two accidentally kissed. The whole room went silent.

"As of today, you are all ninjas." said Iruka-sensei. "To get here you had to face difficult trials and hardships. But that doesn't stop here. Now you are only genin, first level ninja. All the genin will be grouped into squads. All the squads are led by a jonin, and elite ninja."

The whole room was silent. Ino and Sakura had a small discussion on who was going to be in Sasuke's group.

Iruka-sensei cleared his throat, "However, since we had an odd number of graduating students, one of these squads will have four genin, while the remaining squads will have three."

That caught my attention. "A four man squad?" I questioned.

I glanced around the room, with my final glances falling on Choji, Sasuke, and Shikamaru. Hopefully we would be the four man squad, that way we would for sure still be friends after this.

"Now we wanted each squad to have a balance of strengths and abilities, so that's how they were set up and divided." Iruka-sensei added. "I will now announce the squads." he looked down at a stack of papers he held in his hand.

"Squad Seven, this will be the squad that will have four genin." Iruka informed. "Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Kristin Hatake," Naruto jumped up and screamed in excitement, while Sakura sulked. "And Sasuke Uchiha."

Sakura jumped up and screamed while Naruto sulked, and I sighed in frustration. Sure I got one best friend, but I was also paired with the village idiot and little miss know-it-all. Great, this was going to be fun.

{End Dream/Flashback}

* * *

"_Despite the disappointment, I was happy that day.." _I thought, slightly opening my eyes.

The pain was dying down, but I could still feel blood running from the wounds in my abdominal area. I slowly stood up and braced myself against the tree trunk.

"What was I thinking?" I asked aloud. "I can't let Naruto fight Sasuke alone, they'll kill each other."

* * *

{Flashback}

Naruto stood up and complained. "Iruka-sensei, why do I have to be on a team with a slug like Sasuke?" that earned him a glare from Sakura.

"Sasuke had the best scores out of all the graduating students." Iruka-sensei answered. "Naruto, you had the worst scores." everyone in class laughed. "To create a balanced group, we put the best student with the worst student."

"Just be sure you don't get in my way, loser." Sasuke said, to Naruto.

"What was that?" Naruto asked, his anger now pointed to Sasuke.

"Hard of hearing or something?" Sasuke said, calmly.

"Naruto!" Sakura groaned. "Stop it. Sit down."

"Please do, you're making yourself look like an even bigger idiot." I added.

He glared at both of us.

"Enough!" yelled Iruka-sensei. "Like it or not, the four of you are Squad Seven. So deal with it!"

We nodded and sighed. "Yes sir."

{End Flashback}

* * *

I had to stop after a few minutes to catch my breath. I used one hand to brace myself on the tree trunk, and the other was pressed over my stomach, applying pressure on my wounds. I winced at the jolt of pain that surged through my body.

"_We may have started off a little rocky, but we learned the meaning of teamwork, the hard way." _

* * *

{Flashback}

"We're all on this squad, and we're in this together." Sasuke added.

Sakura and I nodded.

"That's right." Sakura said.

"We decided to give our lunch to him because the four of us are one team." I added.

Kakashi-sensei walked towards us, "'The four of you are one'." he repeated. "That's your excuse?"

We all looked at each other and then back at our sensei.

"You pass." said our sensei.

"Huh?" Sakura, Naruto, and I asked in unison.

"You. Pass." Kakashi-sensei repeated.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"How did we pass?" I added.

"You're the first squad that ever succeeded." answered Kakashi-sensei. "The others did exactly as I said, and fell into every trap. They couldn't think for themselves." he added, standing up. "A ninja must see through deception." he looked us right in the eyes. "In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, that is true. But, those who abandon their friends, are worse than scum."

{End Flashback}

* * *

I leaned against the base of the tree to catch my breath.

"Damnit, why isn't this healing?" I whimpered, looking at the bloodstain on the lower portion of my top.

The seal slowly regressed until it was gone. I took deep, slow breaths and tried to ignore the pain I was in. I closed my eyes for just a brief moment.

* * *

{Flashback}

We looked behind us and the door slowly opened. A tall man with tan skin, and grey hair and a beard stepped through.

"What the?" he asked. "A bunch of kids?" he took a long, swig of sake from his bottle. Then he looked at the four of us genin. He pointed to Naruto, "And you with the idiotic look on his face, you really expect me to believe you're a ninja?"

Naruto chuckled. "Who's the little one with the idiotic look?" he asked.

Sasuke, Sakura, and I exchanged glances and stepped closer. Out of all four of us, Naruto was the shortest. That made him angry.

Kakashi-sensei held Naruto by the collar of his jacket while he ranted, "I'll demolish you!"

"You can't demolish the client Naruto, it doesn't work like that." said our sensei.

The client took another swig of sake before speaking. "I am Tazuna, a master bridge builder and I must return to my country." he introduced. "I'm building a bridge there that will change our world and I expect you to get me there safely, even if it means giving up your life."

"Very well then." said the Third. "Squad Seven, you have your mission. Now go and carry it out."

We nodded to our Hokage and left the room, with Tazuna following. Since he was our client, he walked with Kakashi-sensei and me while we ran home to get our ninja gear and pack our bags for the long journey ahead.

{End Flashback}

* * *

A rustling caught my attention and my eyes shot open. _"Who the hell could that be?" _I thought, slowly getting up.

I focused on sensing the presence, tapping into my demon senses, and that's when I locked onto six different people, and they seemed familiar.

"_What are they doing way out here?" _Helena asked, her ears twitching.

"Who?" I asked aloud, wondering who it was that we were sensing.

"_It's the sand shinobi, along with Konoha's three students." _Helena answered. _"If we don't wanna run into them, we'd better get moving."_

I nodded in agreement and quickly took off towards the end of the forest. More memories of squad seven's previous missions came to mind, like when we learned how to climb trees by sending chakra to our feet.

* * *

{Flashback}

"What do we have to do?" Sakura asked, timidly.

Kakashi-sensei smiled and chuckled, "Climb a tree." he answered.

"Climb a tree!?" the four of us genin said in unison.

"That's right." said our sensei. "But there is just one rule: No Hands."

It was there that I'm pretty sure he lost the four of us.

"You're kidding, right daddy?" I asked.

"Am I?" he replied. Dad made just one hand sign to focus his chakra. Then he slowly made his way to the nearest tree and place one foot on the trunk.

Then, to the amazement of all four of us genin, dad began climbing the tree, with only his feet. We all marveled at the sight as he made his way to the next branch and hung upside down, his feet planted firmly on the bottom of the branch.

"Well you all get the idea." said our sensei. "Focus the chakra to the soles of your feet, and use it to connect to the tree." he informed. "This is one way of learning to control your chakra."

"Hold it, how is this going to help us fight Zabuza?" Sakura asked.

"It's the only way to fight him." answered our sensei. "That's the entire goal of this training."

"I'm afraid you still lost us dad." I said, speaking for the rest of the squad.

"Well then, let me clarify this." dad replied.

"First, you will learn to draw and focus chakra to a single point on your entire body, this is even difficult for advanced ninja, such as Zabuza and myself." he informed. "This type of climbing requires a subtle mix of both spiritual and physical energy, and the bottoms of your feet are the most difficult points to focus chakra. If you all master this, you'll be able to master any kind of jutsu. Well, theoretically anyway."

"So what's the next point of this training?" I asked.

"The second is learning to maintain your chakra to that point." answered Kakashi-sensei. "When a ninja is focused in battle, it's even harder to focus and maintain chakra levels. A deadly mistake." he added. "Well I could talk about this all day, but that won't advance your skills will it? The only way to grasp it, is through this training."

Kakashi-sensei tossed down four kunai knives at our feet. "Use those kunai to mark the highest point you can climb, then try to surpass that mark the next time." he instructed. "Start by running at the tree to gain enough momentum to take you as high as you can possibly go. That is, until you get used to it. Ready, begin."

We each picked up the kunai knife and looked up at our teacher.

"I'm ready, this is gonna be no sweat all the way." Naruto boasted. "Remember sensei, you said I'm the one whose grown the most."

"_You're definably the one who talks the most." _I thought.

"Now get focused and do it!" ordered Kakashi-sensei.

All four of us focused our chakra. We stood there silently, gathering up our energy. The next instant we charged for the trees ahead and made our way up the trunks.

{End Flashback}

* * *

I halted my movements and leaned against a tree to catch my breath once more. A few more feet more and I would be out of the forest, and the territory was starting to look vaguely familiar, like I'd seen it in history books.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to regain more strength to press forward.

"_After that mission, it seemed like we were finally getting somewhere." _I thought, remembering how we successfully completed the A-rank mission to the Land of Waves. _"It was the Chūnin Exams where everything went downhill. Sasuke was never the same after that, and it only got worse after Itatchi showed up."_

* * *

{Flashback}

The fight started off with basic taijutsu, but then intensified after Sasuke landed a punch to Naruto's jaw. Naruto used his specialty and surrounded Sasuke with a few dozen 'Shadow Clones'. But since Sasuke was using his Sharingan, he could easily distinguish the clones from the real Naruto. Sasuke managed to get high enough into the air and let loose his fireball jutsu, destroying all the Narutos at once.

"Naruto!" I yelled, recoiling from the heat wave.

Once the fire cleared I saw one more clone had remained and he was forming some kind of jutsu, which looked like a chakra sphere. At the same time, Sasuke activated his Chidori.

"_Please, no." _I begged, clasping my hands together. _"Stop fighting, both of you. Please."_

"Stop it!" I screamed, closing my eyes and running ahead.

I felt the burning sensation cover my skin, but I kept my eyes closed. I had to stop my two teammates from killing each other, because that's just what they were about to do.

It was like everything was happening in slow motion. I yelled at my teammates to stop, but it appeared they couldn't hear me. I could feel tears falling down my cheeks and my heart was beating so fast I could hear it in my ears.

"Stop no!" I called out to them.

{End Flashback}

* * *

"Hey, over here." I heard a voice call in the distance. It was female, and sounded familiar.

"Damn, she looks like she's been through hell." said a male voice, once I also recognized.

My head and body felt so heavy, that I couldn't open my eyes to see who they were.

* * *

{Flashback}

"I still say you didn't need to do all this." Shikamaru repeated.

"And I still say I wanted to." I replied. "Thanks for the flowers."

Shikamaru smiled, taking my hand, "Thank you for dinner. I agree with Choji, it was amazing."

I smiled back, "Well I'm glad you enjoyed it, since it was all for you." I giggled. "And, since you can lead your own squad now. If you find use for a young Kunoichi who just happens to know Water-Style, give me a call."

Shikamaru chuckled, "You're at the top of my list." he said.

I looked up into his eyes, and I felt like my heart was gonna leap out of my chest. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him, laying my head on his shoulder.

"Are you gonna be okay?" he asked, rubbing my back. "With what happened with your team?"

I nodded, "We'll manage, we always do." I answered, holding my tears back. "But, at least I know I can talk to you and Choji."

Shikamaru nodded, tilting my chin up so our eyes locked, "If you ever need to talk, you know where to find me." he reassured. He touched his forehead to mine, "I'll always be here for you, just like I promised."

I nodded, smiling weakly. "I know." I replied, looking into his brown eyes. "I trust you."

I tilted my face up and closed my eyes, aiming for a kiss. Shikamaru planted a kiss on my forehead, caressing my jaw line.

"I'll see ya tomorrow Kris." he whispered, touching his forehead to mine.

I exhaled. "Okay, see ya." I whispered back.

Shikamaru kissed my cheek and turned to leave. I watched as he and Choji walked back towards their homes.

I shut the front door and quickly ran up the stairs to my bedroom and looked out the window, watching them reach the end of the street and turn onto the next one.

"Goodnight Shikamaru." I whispered to myself, smiling.

{End Flashback}

* * *

"Kristin, c'mon." the male voice spoke. "Come back to us."

I felt some cool liquid run down my throat and a little dripped down my chin. I coughed and groaned, opening my eyes. I saw someone looming over me.

"Shikamaru?" I questioned, squinting.

The male chuckled and he came into focus. "Sorry cutie, wrong suitor." Kankurō chuckled.

I opened my eyes wider and saw both Kankurō and Arée were standing over me. Beside Arée was a medium sized timber wolf with a Konohagakure headband around his neck.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked, groaning. I looked up and met Kankurō's eyes, "I heard that the Leaf forgave you guys for breaking the alliance and stabbing us in the back, but, why the hell are you here?"

Arée chuckled. "Lady Hokage sent us to back you guys up, and tend to the wounded." she answered. "Me, Shirayuki, and Rose met Kankurō and his siblings halfway, and tracked you guys."

I pushed myself up, but Kankurō still cradled me against his chest. "So where are Shirayuki and Rose?" I asked.

"Shirayuki is with Gaara, and they went on ahead, that way." she pointed back the way I came, where Orchi was fighting Kimimaro. "And Rose is backing up Temari, and they went, that way." she moved to point in a diagonal area.

"Shikamaru." I muttered, standing up. "I have to go."

"Woah, take it easy, there." Kankurō advised, spotting me. "You are in no condition to go anywhere."

"Except the hospital." Arée added.

I shook my head. "No, I have to find Naruto and Sasuke, before they kill each other." I jumped up to the nearest branch I could get to.

* * *

I looked ahead of me and saw a crystal blue river. My gut was telling me that if I followed that river, I would find Sasuke and Naruto.

"Okay, I did not waste time tending to your wounds, so you could right back into battle and kill yourself." Arée huffed, joining me on the branch. "I'm taking you back to the village so a trained medical ninja can take a look at you."

"Would you just stand by if it were Rose and Shirayuki?" I asked, looking at her. "They're my teammates Arée, I can't just let this go. If I don't stop them, they'll kill each other."

That very idea brought tears to my eyes.

"If you wanna be of any help, go find Kiba and Akamaru." I told her. "They fell off of some cliff with one of the sound ninja, somewhere over that way." I pointed off in the general direction.

"You defiantly are Kakashi's daughter, stubborn to the bone." Arée scoffed. She looked over her shoulder, "Mokuzai, track down Kiba Inuzuka and his ninja hound, Akamaru. We'll check up on them."

I smiled. "Thank you." I whispered.

Kankurō joined us on the branch. "You sure you can continue on?" he questioned.

I turned around and faced him. "Yes. I'm not gonna let a few stab wounds keep me from the mission goal."

Kankurō smiled. "Just one more thing." then, he planted his lips over mine.

I gasped and glanced at Arée before looking back at Kankurō, and pulled away.

"Sorry." Kankurō apologized. "I've been wanting to do that since the Chūnin Exams."

I scoffed. "Okay. I'm gonna go." I turned and leapt to the next branch. Then, I pushed my demon seal through the stages, giving my body a few seconds to adjust.

I jumped from the branch and landed in stage three, before turning back to take one last look at Kankurō and Arée. Both of them were on the back of Arée's summoned wolf, Mokuzai. I bowed my head and took off downstream, following Naruto's scent.

"I just hope that change in skeletal structure didn't rip out her sutures." I heard Arée mutter.

Kankurō just huffed in agreement before Mokuzai bounded off in the opposite direction.

* * *

I ran down the stream, and I could tell I was getting close. The scents were getting stronger, plus, I could feel Sasuke's and Naruto's chakras increase, almost inhuman like.

"_A storm is coming." _Helena said in my subconscious. _"A major one."_

I huffed and picked up speed, despite my legs screaming at me and the small blood trail I was leaving behind. My chest was a little tight, no doubt I had a few broken ribs, and possibly a broken collarbone. My ankle and wrist were probably sprained as well from how I handed after Kimimaro attacked me. And, on top of all of that, my chakra was probably almost drained.

"_I have to stop them before it's too late." _I thought, as the skies began to darken.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Kristin**: So, this is how it ends? Everything we've accomplished as Squad Seven, that ends here?

**Helena**: Next time: **In the End…**

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, this chapter is mainly flashbacks of key points of Squad Seven up until this point. Read and Review, **no flames**!


	79. In The End

**In The End…**

* * *

The skies were getting darker by the minute, and Sasuke's and Naruto's chakras were growing more violent, meaning I was running out of time. Despite my body screaming in agony, I pressed on tracking Naruto's scent as best I could.

"_Everything we've been through…_

* * *

{Flashback}

"Squad Seven, this will be the squad that will have four genin." said our sensei. "Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Kristin Hatake," Naruto jumped up and screamed in excitement, while Sakura sulked. "And Sasuke Uchiha."

Sakura jumped up and screamed while Naruto sulked, and I sighed in frustration. Sure I got one best friend, but I was also paired with the village idiot and little miss know-it-all. Great, this was going to be fun.

Naruto stood up and complained. "Iruka-sensei, why do I have to be on a team with a slug like Sasuke?" that earned him a glare from Sakura.

"Sasuke had the best scores out of all the graduating students." Iruka-sensei answered. "Naruto, you had the worst scores." everyone in class laughed. "To create a balanced group, we put the best student with the worst student."

"Just be sure you don't get in my way, loser." Sasuke said, to Naruto.

"What was that?" Naruto asked, his anger now pointed to Sasuke.

"Hard of hearing or something?" Sasuke said, calmly.

"Naruto!" Sakura groaned. "Stop it. Sit down."

"Please do, you're making yourself look like an even bigger idiot." I added.

He glared at both of us.

"Enough!" yelled Iruka-sensei. "Like it or not, the four of you are Squad Seven. So deal with it!"

We nodded and sighed. "Yes sir."

{End Flashback}

* * *

"…_everything we've worked for…"_

* * *

{Flashback}

"We're all on this squad, and we're in this together." Sasuke added.

Sakura and I nodded.

"That's right." Sakura said.

"We decided to give our lunch to him because the four of us are one team." I added.

Kakashi-sensei walked towards us, "'The four of you are one'." he repeated. "That's your excuse?"

We all looked at each other and then back at our sensei.

"You pass." said our sensei.

"Huh?" Sakura, Naruto, and I asked in unison.

"You. Pass." Kakashi-sensei repeated.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"How did we pass?" I added.

"You're the first squad that ever succeeded." answered Kakashi-sensei. "The others did exactly as I said, and fell into every trap. They couldn't think for themselves." he added, standing up. "A ninja must see through deception." he looked us right in the eyes. "In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, that is true. But, those who abandon their friends, are worse than scum."

{End Flashback}

* * *

"…_as Squad Seven, the things we've accomplished as a team…"_

* * *

{Flashback}

We looked behind us and the door slowly opened. A tall man with tan skin, and grey hair and a beard stepped through.

"What the?" he asked. "A bunch of kids?" he took a long, swig of sake from his bottle. Then he looked at the four of us genin. He pointed to Naruto, "And you with the idiotic look on his face, you really expect me to believe you're a ninja?"

Naruto chuckled. "Who's the little one with the idiotic look?" he asked.

Sasuke, Sakura, and I exchanged glances and stepped closer. Out of all four of us, Naruto was the shortest. That made him angry.

Kakashi-sensei held Naruto by the collar of his jacket while he ranted, "I'll demolish you!"

"You can't demolish the client Naruto, it doesn't work like that." said our sensei.

The client took another swig of sake before speaking. "I am Tazuna, a master bridge builder and I must return to my country." he introduced. "I'm building a bridge there that will change our world and I expect you to get me there safely, even if it means giving up your life."

"What do we have to do?" Sakura asked, timidly.

Kakashi-sensei smiled and chuckled, "Climb a tree." he answered.

"Climb a tree!?" the four of us genin said in unison.

"That's right." said our sensei. "But there is just one rule: No Hands."

It was there that I'm pretty sure he lost the four of us.

"You're kidding, right daddy?" I asked.

"Am I?" he replied. Dad made just one hand sign to focus his chakra. Then he slowly made his way to the nearest tree and place one foot on the trunk.

Then, to the amazement of all four of us genin, dad began climbing the tree, with only his feet. We all marveled at the sight as he made his way to the next branch and hung upside down, his feet planted firmly on the bottom of the branch.

"Well you all get the idea." said our sensei. "Focus the chakra to the soles of your feet, and use it to connect to the tree." he informed. "This is one way of learning to control your chakra."

"Hold it, how is this going to help us fight Zabuza?" Sakura asked.

"It's the only way to fight him." answered our sensei. "That's the entire goal of this training."

"I'm afraid you still lost us dad." I said, speaking for the rest of the squad.

"Well then, let me clarify this." dad replied.

"First, you will learn to draw and focus chakra to a single point on your entire body, this is even difficult for advanced ninja, such as Zabuza and myself." he informed. "This type of climbing requires a subtle mix of both spiritual and physical energy, and the bottoms of your feet are the most difficult points to focus chakra. If you all master this, you'll be able to master any kind of jutsu. Well, theoretically anyway."

"So what's the next point of this training?" I asked.

"The second is learning to maintain your chakra to that point." answered Kakashi-sensei. "When a ninja is focused in battle, it's even harder to focus and maintain chakra levels. A deadly mistake." he added. "Well I could talk about this all day, but that won't advance your skills will it? The only way to grasp it, is through this training."

Kakashi-sensei tossed down four kunai knives at our feet. "Use those kunai to mark the highest point you can climb, then try to surpass that mark the next time." he instructed. "Start by running at the tree to gain enough momentum to take you as high as you can possibly go. That is, until you get used to it. Ready, begin."

We each picked up the kunai knife and looked up at our teacher.

"I'm ready, this is gonna be no sweat all the way." Naruto boasted. "Remember sensei, you said I'm the one whose grown the most."

"_You're definably the one who talks the most." _I thought.

"Now get focused and do it!" ordered Kakashi-sensei.

All four of us focused our chakra. We stood there silently, gathering up our energy. The next instant we charged for the trees ahead and made our way up the trunks.

{End Flashback}

* * *

"…_I'm not gonna let it be thrown away like this." _I felt the tears fall from my eyes and blow in the wind.

* * *

{Flashback}

The fight started off with basic taijutsu, but then intensified after Sasuke landed a punch to Naruto's jaw. Naruto used his specialty and surrounded Sasuke with a few dozen 'Shadow Clones'. But since Sasuke was using his Sharingan, he could easily distinguish the clones from the real Naruto. Sasuke managed to get high enough into the air and let loose his fireball jutsu, destroying all the Narutos at once.

"Naruto!" I yelled, recoiling from the heat wave.

Once the fire cleared I saw one more clone had remained and he was forming some kind of jutsu, which looked like a chakra sphere. At the same time, Sasuke activated his Chidori.

"_Please, no." _I begged, clasping my hands together. _"Stop fighting, both of you. Please."_

"Stop it!" I screamed, closing my eyes and running ahead.

I felt the burning sensation cover my skin, but I kept my eyes closed. I had to stop my two teammates from killing each other, because that's just what they were about to do.

It was like everything was happening in slow motion. I yelled at my teammates to stop, but it appeared they couldn't hear me. I could feel tears falling down my cheeks and my heart was beating so fast I could hear it in my ears.

"Stop no!" I called out to them.

{End Flashback}

* * *

My footing slipped as I climbed up a steep cliff, and I felt jagged rocks puncture my underbelly. Despite the new wounds and the bleeding, I pressed forward by sending chakra to my paws and bounding up the cliffside.

As I looked out ahead, I realized that I was at the Valley of the End, where the village's two founders stood eternally in battle. My vision was starting to blur a bit around the edges, and I could feel the last remnants of my chakra draining away.

"_Sweetie, it's best to cut our losses now, before things get worse." _Helena advised.

I knew she was right, but I continued to walk a few more feet, until I came to the top of the waterfall. I closed my eyes and slowly regressed the seal and leaned against a nearby tree for support.

I cracked a small smile while holding the, now bleeding, kunai wound that Sasuke gave me before running off.

"Guess my dad was right." I chuckled, feeling blood trickle down my lip.

* * *

{Flashback}

"Kristin, I need to talk to you before I leave." he replied, motioning for me to follow him.

I nodded, "Choji, keep stirring the stew and watch the cobbler." I patted his shoulder, and followed my dad.

"What's this about?" I asked him, sitting on his bed.

"What the hell were you thinking back at the hospital?" he asked me, looking down at me. "You could've been killed, Kristin."

I looked down, "I had to do something, dad." I defended. "I couldn't just stand there and watch them hurt each other."

"I don't think you understand the severity of those jutsus." Dad said. "Those are A-ranked level techniques, that have fatal outcomes on opponents."

"I know that." I replied. "Hence why I tried to stop it."

Dad looked at me and sighed. "Did you think Helena's seal would protect you?"

I slightly nodded and avoided eye contact. "It crossed my mind, but still, I didn't voluntarily activate it." I informed, still not making eye contact. "The seal acted on it's own."

Dad sighed, "I think you're taking Helena's powers for granted." he said. "You rely too much on her power to protect you in a fight so you can go all out. But the truth is, sweetie, there's only so much that the seal can do. Even Helena has her limits."

I sat on dad's bed in silence as he packed his bag for his next mission. He stood in front of me, "I know this must be hard on you, but please, don't do anything reckless while I'm away."

I looked up at him and sniffled. "Fine, I won't." I replied. "At least, I'll try not to."

Dad leaned down and kissed my forehead. "I love Kristin, never forget that." he said.

{End Flashback}

* * *

"You were right dad." I muttered, wincing as I felt more blood run over my fingers. "I do take Helena for granted." I admitted, leaning my head against the tree. "I now know that there are some things that even her seal can't protect."

I suddenly sensed a major surge in chakra, and the overall feel suddenly changed.

"_Oh no!" _Helena objected. _"You can't stop this now. You even try, you'll kill us both!"_

Using the tree for support, I stood up and wove the signs to advance my seal to stage three once more. I walked to the end of the statue I stood on, which was of Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, and I saw Naruto was cloaked in orange chakra and Sasuke was in, what I assumed, was the next stage of his Cursed Seal of Heaven. Naruto had his Rasengan ready and Sasuke was holding his Chidori. They were heading right for one another.

When their attacks combined, everything shook. The collision created a massive shockwave that created a huge blast of water and a small earthquake. In the midst of everything, I slipped and my head made contact with the statue, and everything went Technicolor for a split second before blurring.

I felt a burning sensation collide with both of my shoulders and my pain intensified tenfold. Everything was going hazy so quickly and the weightless sensation took over. There were countless, jagged rocks at the bottom of the waterfall, and I braced myself for the pain to come.

I slowly felt my energy leave me, combined with sharp pain shooting throughout my body. I could feel blood running down from open wounds all over my arms and legs. I crashed into the water and skidded onto the shore.

* * *

My body was sore all over and it hurt to move anything even a fraction of an inch. I heard one crash of thunder and then rain came pouring down. The rain water felt cold to the touch and all I could do was lay there. My vision was blurring and I was freezing.

"_So this is it?" _I thought, looking up to the sky. _"This is how I'm gonna leave this world?"_

Through slightly open lids, I saw someone stand over me, his dark eyes staring down at me. I tried to speak, but couldn't form any words.

I reached out and gripped his leg as he turned to walk away. He looked back down at me.

"_Sasuke, please. Please don't go." _I begged. My grip loosened and my hand fell from his ankle.

Sasuke closed his eyes and walked away. He made it to the forest edge, before looking back over his shoulder. Our eyes met for only a second before he turned and walked into the forest.

My vision blurred and my eyes slowly closed. _"So, this is goodbye, forever." _I took what could be my last breath. I felt a single tear fall down my cheek, _"I'm sorry, I failed… Grandpa, help me…"_

Then the exhaustion kicked in and the darkness took over.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Naruto: **I made a once in a lifetime promise to bring Sasuke back, and I couldn't live up to it. But don't worry, I will get him back, someday. I'll bring him home no matter what! Because that's my nindo., my ninja way.

**Kristin: **Next time: **The Promise That Could Not Be Kept.**

* * *

**A/N: **Okay so this is the second to last chapter of the Sasuke Retrieval Arc. The next chapter will be the last. Hope you all enjoy^^ Read and Review, **no flames**!


	80. The Promise That Could Not Be Kept

**The Promise That Could Not Be Kept**

* * *

I felt something soft rub against my cheek and my senses were slowly returning. I cracked my eyes open and saw a mane of black hair in front of me. The feeling of motion came a second later.

"Big brother?" I rasped.

Kovu, in his full demon form, turned his head and he cracked a smile. "Hey sis, glad to see those beautiful blue eyes of yours." he chuckled.

My body felt so sore all over. "Bro, I'm so tired." I murmured.

"We're almost home Kris." he informed. "Once we get there, you're gonna be all better. You can see all your friends too."

My eyelids began to drift close, and in the forest space ahead of me, I visualized the rest of the team. Soon, the darkness took over once more and I drifted back to nothingness.

* * *

The sensation of being lifted and lain on back is what broke me from my sleep. I awoke and saw multiple medical ninja standing over me before eventually lifting the stretcher I was placed on.

I reached out and took my brother's hand, which held my blood-stained headband. "Kovu, can you do me a favor?" I asked, looking in his eyes. "I need to find Shikamaru, to apologize." I could feel my strength leaving me once more.

Kovu nodded and squeezed my hand, "Of course, I'll go get him." he kissed my hand and ran inside the hospital.

The medical team ran inside the hospital and I could see one talking with Lady Diana. She was wearing the standard nurse's uniform of the village hospital. Diana led the way to one of the larger Operating Rooms, but Kovu had halted her.

"She asked for this, please, just five minutes." he pleaded.

Lady Diana sighed. "Okay fine, five minutes." she agreed. "Then, I need to take over, she's critical."

My eyes closed for what seemed like a few minutes, until I felt someone clasp my left hand in both of his.

* * *

I opened my eyes and found Shikamaru looking down at me.

"Shikamaru." I whimpered, smiling.

"Yeah, I'm here." he replied, caressing my cheek. "I'm here now."

"I'm so sorry." I apologized, feeling moisture well in my eyes.

Shikamaru caressed my cheek, and I felt something like a splint on his finger. "You don't need to apologize." he told me. "Just rest up. Rest and get better." he touched his forehead to mine, "I'm the one who should be apologizing." he whispered. "Stay alive for me." he planted a kiss on my forehead.

"I'll let you know after I'm finished healing her." Diana said to Shikamaru as I was taken to the awaiting room.

* * *

I was lain on a cold, steel floor with a medical formula written on it, and I was laying in the center.

"Okay Negro, ready?" Diana asked, kneeling down at the point near my head.

"Yes Lady Diana." Negro replied, from the opposite end.

The seal lit up in a hue of colors and I could feel the light touch of chakra flow all over my body. The pain was slowly fading and I was slipping into unconsciousness once more.

"_My life is in your hands now, Lady Diana." _I thought, before slipping away into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

I found myself standing in front of my family's shrine, and the wind was blowing my ponytail behind me.

"So this is it huh?" I asked, placing my hand on my hips. I chuckled and went to open the temple's door.

Then I felt someone place a hand on my shoulder. "It's not your time just yet, sweetheart." the voice spoke. It was male, and older.

I turned to look who it was and gasped. I was looking up into a pair of dark eyes on a kind face. He had spiky, silver-colored hair that reached into the middle of his back tied in a ponytail and bangs that hung over his Konohagakure forehead protector.

"Hello Kristin, nice to finally meet you." he chuckled, smiling.

"Grandpa." I gasped, blinking. "So, I'm really dead?"

My grandfather, Sakumo Hatake, shook his head. "No, not yet anyway." he answered, taking my hand and holding it. "That choice is up to you."

I nodded and squeezed his hand. "So that means you're hear to help me?" I questioned, looking up at him.

Sakumo nodded. He led me to the stairs just leading to the shrine and we sat down on the middle step.

"I've dreamed of meeting you for so many years." I admitted. "There's so many things I wanna ask you."

"Well, now's your time." Sakumo replied. "Ask me anything you want, my dear granddaughter."

I looked over at him and sighed, "Well, one thing really." I corrected. "With everything you know now. If you could go back and redo that mission, would you change anything?"

Sakumo let out a sigh and looked like he was pondering his answer. After a few minutes, he smiled. "No, I wouldn't. I would do it all the same." he answered.

I smiled. "I think you did the right thing." I said, looking at him. "Saving your comrade's lives instead of continuing the mission solo."

Sakumo chuckled, "If only, at that time, the village would've said the same thing." he looked down. "I was never the same after I got back there. Then, as the years passed, I just wasn't strong enough to take it anymore." he sighed heavily. "You're stronger than I am, Kristin."

I chuckled. "I'm not so sure about that." I rebuked. "I think Helena's seal was doing all the work for me on this last mission." I instinctively reached for my seal.

"I've been watching over you ever since you started the Academy." Sakumo told me. "You've come so far, you're life is just beginning."

I felt moisture well in my eyes and sniffled. "I think this might be it for me grandpa." I whimpered. "I don't know if I can come back from this. And I don't just mean my physical wounds."

Sakumo nodded. "You mean, because someone you once trusted with all your secrets, and recently you've trusted him with your life," he reached behind me and rubbed my back, "betrayed you and left you to die."

I nodded and let the tears fall. "Exactly." I agreed. "And, that hurt me to the point where I'm physically and emotionally drained." I looked up at the clear blue sky and sighed. "I don't know if I have the strength left to continue fighting."

If there was ever a time for some grandfatherly advice, it was now.

"If you could find the strength, would you keep fighting?" Sakumo questioned, looking down at me.

I looked up and met his kind eyes. "How?" I asked.

He took my hand and squeezed it. Everything went white around us and the next second…

* * *

…I found us standing in a hospital room. The hospital room where I was recovering, or at least my body was recovering. A breathing mask was over my nose and mouth, and IV tubes were hooked up to my arms, probably pumping in fluids and a little bit of painkillers.

To my surprise, my family wasn't anywhere in the room, but Shikamaru was. He was sitting at my bedside, caressing the top of my hand, and, it looked like he had been crying. No, he was crying.

"He's crying." I muttered. "Shikamaru never cries. This is the first in all the years I've known him, to see him this down." I shook my head and felt the tears fall down my cheeks.

"He seems to really care about you." Sakumo noted.

I cracked a small smile. "Yeah." I agreed. "I know that I can turn to him, for anything." I took a step closer to the bed and sighed. "His first mission as a Chūnin squad leader, and this is how it ends. With every member of his team fighting for their lives in the village hospital."

I felt horrible that the mission ended the way it did. And I wished that I could do something.

"The choice is yours Kristin." Sakumo reminded me. "You can choose to stay, or you can join your mother."

I took a shaky breath and exhaled. "Grandpa," I whimpered, feeling more tears fall. "I wanna stay."

"Okay." Sakumo said, placing his hand on my shoulders.

I threw myself into his arms and let him hug me. "I'm glad I at least got to meet you." I cried into his chest.

Sakumo chuckled. "Yes, as am I." he replied, rubbing my back. "You're life is just beginning, it's not your time to go just yet." he placed his hands on my shoulders and pushed me away. "I'll always be watching over you, my sweet granddaughter."

"I love you grandpa." I muttered.

"I love you too." he replied, kissing the top of my head.

* * *

I took in a deep breath and coughed, and felt something being removed from my face.

"Sissy?" Kallera questioned.

I opened my eyes and sat up, wincing at the soreness of my body. "Oh wow, what a wakeup call. Ouch."

"Hey, be lucky you're alive.' Kallera huffed.

Kovu nodded. "I found you in a pool of your own blood." he informed. "I almost thought you were dead."

"How's Naruto?" I asked.

"He's stable." my dad answered, sitting next to me. "His injuries were almost the same as yours."

I sighed in relief. "At least he's okay." I said. "What about the others?"

"They're gonna be just fine." Dad told me. "Everyone's alive, and that's all that matters."

I sighed again and smiled. "Yeah." I agreed.

I looked out the window and my smile dropped. _"But still, the mission's a failure, and that's something we're all gonna have to accept."_

* * *

{Flashback}

Naruto smiled and gave Sakura a thumbs up. "Don't you worry one bit, I'm gonna bring Sasuke back." he vowed. "I promise that on my life, Sakura."

"I'm gonna beat him to a pulp, and then drag him back to the village." Naruto said through gritted teeth.

I took in another breath and exhaled. "If anyone can reach him, it's you." I admitted, leaning against the tree trunk. "It's all up to you now, Naruto."

Naruto stood up and gave me the thumbs up. "I promise, I'll get him back."

{End Flashback}

* * *

"_Naruto, you had all intentions to bring him home." _I thought. _"Yet, he still walked away. Are you still gonna keep that promise?" _

My eyes drifted close and I fell asleep.

* * *

When I woke up, the sun was setting and dozens of flowers decorated my hospital room.

"Welcome back." I heard a familiar voice greet.

I turned my head and smiled. "Hey Shikamaru." I replied. "I thought you would've left by now."

My best friend chuckled and moved to sit on the side of my bed. "Not until I knew you were okay." he rebuked. "I wanted to get a chance to apologize to ya."

"Apologize for what?" I asked, moving to sit up.

"For not being a better leader." Shikamaru answered, looking down. "If I'd done more, then the mission would've turned out differently."

"Sasuke still would've left." I informed. "He would do anything to get the power to defeat Itatchi." I scoffed. "Even if we did get him back from those ninja, he still would've left again."

Shikamaru chuckled. "Yeah, he's always been Mr. Perfect." he reminded. "He'll stop at nothing to get stronger. So, maybe it was a fool's mission."

"You're not a fool, Shikamaru." I rebuked. "You were a great leader. We just bit off more than we could chew, is all. We pushed ourselves beyond our limits because we didn't want to fail."

"Well no one ever said life was easy." Shikamaru chuckled. He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "But, I'm just glad I don't have to bury my best friend." he took my hand and held it. "You had me worried."

I smiled. "I'm sorry." I apologized. "I pushed myself beyond my limits." I looked down. "I promise I won't do anything that stupid ever again."

"Just don't throw your life away." Shikamaru told me, squeezing my hand. He used his free hand to tilt my face up to meet his. "You mean more to people than you think."

My breath caught in my throat and all I could do was smile. "Okay." I squeezed his hand back. "I promise, I won't throw my life away."

Shikamaru smiled and planted another kiss on my forehead, caressing the top of my hand. He touched his forehead to mine. "Get some rest, Kris." he told me. "I'll come by and see ya tomorrow."

I smiled and chuckled. "Okay." I replied. "See ya tomorrow."

"Goodnight Kris." Shikamaru gave me one more smile before walking out of my hospital room.

"Goodnight Shikamaru." I smiled to myself and laid down, looking out at the night sky. Sleep overcame me and I drifted off.

* * *

**Next time…**

**Kristin: **So, I've taken the next step in my career as a Kunoichi. Now what? I'm torn between my duty to my team, and the rules that I swore to standby…What can I do? One teammate is refusing to listen to clinical orders, while the other is contemplating going solo. Man, who knew being the responsible one would be so hard.

Next time: **Deep Cover? A Super S-Ranked Mission!**


End file.
